


The Problems with Being a(n) (O)Mega Bitch

by GothAlbinoAngel



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alpha Kurt, Alpha McNamara, Alpha Veronica Sawyer, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anachronistic, Beta Betty, Beta Ram, Child Abuse, F/F, M/M, Multi, Omega Chandler, Omega Martha, Rating May Change, Underage Drinking, alpha duke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21624331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/GothAlbinoAngel
Summary: The Heathers have been friends since they were six. They know each other inside and out. They even created signals and codes for one another, which come in handy sometimes when (the Chandler) parents are just traditionalist assholes.Veronica finds it intriguing, finally seeing inside of the untouchable girls' squad that has Westerburg High in an iron grip. But even if the Heathers are bitches, assholes, and one is likely possessed by a literal demon, Veronica is not going to just sit idly by if they need her help.Sometimes, that involves climbing over gates, up trees, and through windows. Sometimes, it involves punching people in the nose. And sometimes, it involves the softest, nicest-smelling, warmest hugs she's ever had.
Relationships: Heather Chandler/Heather Duke, Heather Chandler/Heather McNamara, Heather Chandler/Veronica Sawyer, Heather Duke/Heather McNamara, Kurt Kelly/Ram Sweeney
Comments: 95
Kudos: 272





	1. The Diagnosis Results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest. I've been obsessed with this fandom for the better part of two weeks now. I've also been on an ABO kick recently with a different story, so I toyed around with this idea and some friends and I threw ideas for this one around until some stuff stuck.
> 
> Oh, and the anachronistic tag is there because Heathers takes place in the 1980s, but I was born in the latter half of the 90s and raised in the early 00s, so I'm just mixing time periods at this point. 
> 
> I hope you like it! Edit: Have made the distinction between Mac and Duke more obvious!

Heather Chandler fought not to fidget as she waited for the mail to be brought in. She'd been like this for the past few days, now, but it would be worth it. She was finally (hopefully) getting her status diagnosis.

Her scent had begun changing a little over two weeks ago. She, of course, noticed, but as she wasn't fully presenting yet, she couldn't get a read on it herself. During one of her parents' rare visits home, they noticed she was beginning to present and her mother immediately decided she needed to go to the clinic. Heather didn't argue. Not only would it upset her father—something she had learned was _never_ good—but she also wanted a confirmation on it. Her mother was a beta and her father came from a long line of alphas, so it was only natural she would be one or the other. But being an alpha would at least get her father to pay more attention to her so he could properly teach her how to behave as one of society's leaders. 

A car pulled up the driveway and Heather glanced over. She smiled and waved to Heather McNamara and Heather Duke. They'd been friends since they were all six years old. At this point, the three of them had promised to remain a pack no matter what came their way. They both started presenting a few months ago. Alphas, naturally. Ever since her appointment, they'd been coming over every day to wait for the mail with her. It was nice knowing she would have someone with her when the results came in. If she ended up being a beta, she would need their help figuring out how to break the news to her father when next he came home.

"Hey, Heather!" Mac called, blonde curls bouncing as she ran closer. Duke was a little slower, sending Heather a lazy wave and a smile. Mac jumped up the stairs to sit next to her and asked excitedly, "Has the mail come?"

"Not yet," Heather told her. "But it feels like today's the day."

Duke rolled her eyes with a good-natured grin. She settled on Heather's other side and said mockingly, "You say that every day. How is today going to be any different?"

"Shut up, Heather," Heather huffed, though the effect was lessened by the grin on her lips as she bumped Duke's shoulder. "I know it's going to be the day. I just have this feeling."

"Well, we're about to get our answer!" Mac exclaimed, pointing to where Heather's nanny was bringing up the mail. 

All three hopped up excitedly and Heather rushed forward. "Has my letter come yet, Sarah?" she asked.

Sarah smiled. She'd been asked the question for nearly a week, so she was used to this by now. Looking through the letters, her eyes widened a bit when she found the one she was looking for. "You're in luck," she chuckled, handing the letter down to Heather. 

"Hah!" Heather cheered, taking it triumphantly and waving it in the air. "I told you, Heather!"

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Mac urged her. 

"Alright! Alright!" Heather tore into the envelope, too excited to ask Sarah for the letter opener. Inside was a single piece of paper and Heather slid it out. All three took a deep breath to calm themselves before Heather unfolded the letter and looked for the result. 

Her hands shook.

Mac's baby blue eyes widened in horror and she stared at her friend, slack-jawed. Duke took a step back, going pale as she realized what this meant for her best friend. Both of them stayed quiet as they waited for Heather to react to the news. Sarah paused in the doorway when she noticed they'd gone quiet. She took one look at her charge's best friends before hurrying back over. 

"Heather?" she called hesitantly, wary of what might happen. "Heather, honey, what's wrong?"

Heather slowly lifted her head. Tears shone in slitted silver eyes as her face twisted into an enraged snarl. Her cheeks flushed with emotion and her red curls stuck to her forehead, indicating she’d broken into a sweat. Those were two signs Sarah had learned were never good reactions for her. Heather's hands shook more noticeably around the letter now. This was not at all good. 

Sarah cautiously reached over and took the paper from Heather. The other two Heathers moved to flank their best friend, both of them wrapping an arm around her waist as they watched Sarah. Sarah took a fortifying breath before looking down at the paper. 

_Oh, **shit.**_

There, on the page, clear as can be, was a large letter O.

Heather Chandler was an Omega. 

~~~

The house was quiet as the three preteens occupied one of the couches. A Heather sulking against either arm and one curled into a ball in the center. Sarah had brought them some tea, but it sat untouched on the coffee table. None of them were really in the mood for food or drink, not when faced with this terrible wrench thrown into their lives. 

Heather could barely even show her face to her two closest friends. It didn't bother either of her friends all that much. Their parents had raised them to be respectful to both betas and omegas, understanding that status didn't necessarily write someone's entire life for them. They would even begin taking the Alpha classes in school to learn how to treat omegas during heat and to soothe betas during rut. Neither of them really minded all that much that Heather was an omega; she was still their best friend. 

The problem was Heather's father. He had a very traditional view on things. Alphas were in charge, the most powerful, the most skilled, the most dangerous and respected. Everyone not an alpha was to bow to them in borderline servitude. Betas, while not necessarily useless, weren't considered as highly. They were powerful, but could never match the might of an alpha. They are capable of moving up the socioeconomic ladder, but weren't likely to go very far. And omegas... He considered omegas the lowest of the low. There to serve and nothing else. They needed to keep their eyes low and their voices soft, speak when spoken to and do as they're told. If he found out his only child was an omega, there was no telling what his reaction would be, but it would be anything opposite of 'good'.

Sarah could only lean against the doorway and watch the three of them sympathetically. As a beta, she knew all too well how Mr. Chandler tended to be about status. She was not looking forward to the tantrum he would no doubt have when he found out. The man tended to be a boor when he was in a neutral mood, there was no telling how he'd be in this scenario. 

They were all pulled from their thoughts by a car horn. It was Mac's mom coming to pick them up. Duke and Mac glanced at each other before they looked at their friend, who hadn't moved in the better part of an hour. 

"Sarah?" Mac called, turning worried blue eyes on the nanny. "Can you go tell my mom we'll only be a minute. We... we don't wanna leave Heather alone just yet."

"Of course, Miss McNamara," Sarah said, bowing slightly before heading out to do exactly that. 

When she was out of earshot, Mac threw herself at Heather. "I'm so sorry," she whispered quietly. 

Duke scooted closer, placing a hand on Heather's shoulder. "Do you... I mean, if you don't want us around tomorrow, that's cool. We, um, you know, understand if you need space or whatever."

There was silence for a moment before Heather shook her head. "No," she mumbled, muffled by her legs. "I don't... I want you two here tomorrow, too." She finally lifted her head and wiped her eyes. "But... I'm just... not okay with anyone outside of the four of us knowing, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem!" Mac told her reassuringly. "It'll be our little secret, right? For as long as you need it to be."

Heather gave a mirthless chuckle. "Probably until I graduate freaking _high school_ with how my dad is."

Duke shrugged. "Then we'll just keep it a secret until we all graduate. That's only, what, six years away? It'll be easy."

Heather looked between her friends and mustered a small smile. "You two are the best friends anyone could ask for."

They beamed at her encouragingly. A throat cleared at the door and Sarah made her way in. She sent the girls a smile and said, "Your mother is waiting for you and Miss Duke, Miss McNamara."

"Thanks, Sarah!" Mac chirped. She gave Heather one last hug before hopping off the couch. Duke leaned over and gave Heather a loose hug, too. She slid off the couch and followed after Mac, casting a concerned glance back at Heather as she went. 

Sarah escorted them out with a wave. When she returned, Heather looked to be in slightly better condition. Her eyes were still puffy, and she needed a tissue or two, but she didn't seem as devastated as before. Sarah took a seat next to her charge and sighed.

"I really _am_ sorry, Heather," she whispered.

"It's just... going to suck when Dad finds out," Heather mumbled, hugging her knees tighter. "He's gonna go on and on about how I'm a failure to the line and don't deserve the family name and... it's just gonna really suck."

Sarah nodded. "Would you like me to sneak you some treats to cheer you up? Even if it only makes you feel a smidge better, it will still be better than feeling like an abandoned puppy after your father is through with you."

Heather leaned against her with a smile. "You're the best, Sarah."

A laugh was her only response. 

Heather didn't like that she was an omega. She knew things would be really hard for her once she started presenting. But she had Sarah, and she had Heather and Heather. She could take on anything with them by her side. Even if 'anything' also meant 'her stupidface traditional jerkwad of a father'. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me, I'm just sobbing in a corner. I did NOT want my first fic in this fandom to be ABO, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out for the first of December and the other Heathers fic I'm working on isn't ready yet! I hope you guys like this anyway! I'll do my best to update regularly.


	2. Heat Cycles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather gets her first heat cycle, and also tells her parents her status.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though the chapter is titled Heat Cycles, there's no sex, I promise. This is just my take on how heat cycles would work for someone younger.

Heather groaned as she awoke. Her room was stuffy. One of the maids must have left the stupid thermostat too high, which was stupid cause it was only the beginning of freaking August. Grumbling about the buffoonery of some people, Heather dragged herself out of bed and to the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she blinked groggily at her reflection. She was a little flushed from the heat in her room, but nothing out of the ordinary. Nodding to herself, Heather made her way downstairs. 

She heard noise from the dining hall when she arrived on the first landing. Good, that must have been the maids setting out breakfast. She could eat a horse. She entered the dining room, wondering what the breakfast spread would be this morning, and found her mother and father sitting at the table. Father was reading the morning paper while he ate some eggs and Mother sipped morning tea while watching the television mounted on the wall. 

Great, they were home.

Heather shuffled further into the room and both of her parents' heads snapped to her. Her mother's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, while her father's narrowed to slits. Heather paid them no mind as she sat at the table and began serving herself some bacon and pancakes. God, she was so hungry this morning, she felt like she was starving. No one said anything for a few minutes as she finished preparing her plate. Before she could begin eating, though, her mother interrupted in the voice Heather had learned was her falsely cheerful voice. 

"Heather, sweetheart, are you, er, hungrier than usual?"

"Yes, I am," Heather responded, keeping her voice clear. Her father hated mumbling. 

"And you feel hot?" her mother pressed. 

"I think the maids just readjusted the thermostat in my room or something like that," Heather told her, cutting her pancakes. "Once I turn it down, I should be fine."

Her mother sighed and shot a glance to her father. Neither said anything and her mother went back to the television. Breakfast passed in silence, just like always. Sarah wouldn't be up for another few minutes, and Heather felt no inclination to talk to her parents right now. 

As she was finishing her food, though, Heather realized that the dining room was also strangely hot. Why the heck did the maids change the master thermostat? It was AUGUST!

Crossing her utensils on her plate so the maids knew she was finished, Heather stood and made her way to the room's thermostat so she could see the temperature. She tilted her head in confusion when she found that it was only at a moderate temperature, hardly anything she would normally consider hot. Why the hell did she feel so stuffy then? Was it temperature equilibrium? Great, she was going to get Duke for teaching her what that meant. 

Heather stepped back from the thermostat with a sigh and made her way upstairs to shower. She kept the shower temperature slightly colder than she usually would have and that seemed to help soothe her a little. She chose a skirt instead of shorts today. The less fabric, the better. God, her clothes felt so tight in this heat. She hated it, but with her parents being home, she couldn't wear anything less than a long-sleeve or they would have something to say about her showing too much skin or attracting the wrong crowd or something. Heather wasn't in the mood to be annoyed. 

She headed back down the stairs and, right on cue, a car horn honked outside. Heather and Heather were here. From the dining room, Heather heard her mother sharply inhale and she wondered what that was about. It was just her best friends. Not like Heather was letting a boy in or something. Gross.

"Heather," her father called in the tone she knew meant he was being neutral on purpose. What pissed him off this time? "Come here a moment."

Not wanting a reason for him to ground her, Heather stepped back into the dining room. "Yes, Daddy."

"Who is outside?" her father asked. 

"It's just Heather and Heather." Heather glanced at the door. They would be in any minute, actually. "We have a sleepover scheduled for tonight."

Her mother looked over. "Those friends, they're the two alpha girls correct?"

"Yeah." Heather blinked at her in confusion. Why was she so lethargic today? She just wanted to sleep again, or maybe cuddle up with one of her stuffed animals or something. Maybe it was because of how hot it was in here. 

"Heather." Her father's voice broke into Heather's musing and she looked to him expectantly. "Did your status results come in yet?"

Heather stared at him for a moment before her heart sank. Right. Her status results. She was _not_ looking forward to this. "Um, yes, they... the result came in..."

"Dear, there's no reason to be nervous," her mother tried with another of her fake smiles. Her eyes darkened from brown to almost black when she was nervous, so Heather knew she was lying. 

"I know," Heather said, brushing some of her redgold curls behind her ear. "It's just... the results weren't... what I expected."

"The results, Heather," her father all but growled. "What were they?"

Silence weighed for all of a second. Heather looked over into her father's matching silver eyes and said, clearly so she didn't have to repeat, "Omega."

Her father's grip on the newspaper tightened, but Heather was saved the tirade when the door flew open and two pairs of feet headed in her direction. "Heather!" she heard Mac call. "I brought movies over for us to watch! And Heather brought over the good snacks!"

Mac and Duke dropped off their bags at the usual spot by the stairs and made their way to the dining hall, expecting Heather to still be eating breakfast. She didn't wake up early if she didn't have to. As they got closer, a sweet scent filled their noses. It smelt like roses and... the cocoa butter lotion Heather always used after a shower. And there was a hint of ginger, too. The scent immediately brought to mind their best friend and they drifted closer. 

"Heather," Mac breathed, blue eyes a bit hazy as she approached her friend. "You smell really good today."

Heather turned to her in confusion. "I didn't do anything more than usual." She tugged at her collar. Why the hell was it so hot in here? "Is it hotter than usual to you?" she asked Duke, since Mac seemed preoccupied with sniffing her.

"Uh, no," Duke said, blinking at her in confusion. Wow, Heather really did smell super good. "Only thing that's different is you. Did you put on more perfume than usual or something?"

"I don't think so," Heather muttered, sniffing herself. She smelt fine, didn't she?

Heather's father gave a loud huff and grunted, "Venus, get that nanny to educate the three of them tonight. I don't have time for this."

"Of course." Heather's mother gave her a falsely reassuring smile and Heather felt irritation spike her. She wouldn't dare defy one of her father's orders, but what the hell did they need to be educated on? They already knew all the stuff. He didn't know what he was talking about. 

"And Heather," her father called. "Let no one else know of your... _affliction._ " Wow, way to make it sound like a terminal illness. 

Heather nodded to him and turned to her friends. "Come on," she said. "We can set up in my room. Maybe take a walk around the garden or something to cool down."

"Seriously, how are you hot?" Duke asked, pulling her fellow alpha back from smelling Heather. "It's not even as warm as it has been."

Heather shrugged and made her way up the stairs. The others grabbed their bags and followed after her. Making their way to her room, Heather settled on the bed and waited. The smell was _much_ stronger in here so it took Mac and Duke a moment to shake off their fog. They took a few deep breaths as they made their way into the room and started setting out their blankets. Heather watched them, sinking into her own blankets drowsily. Okay, what was wrong with her today? One minute, she was too hot to be in here, and the next, all she wanted to do was cuddle up with a stuffie and nap. 

A yawn slipped past and she felt her body relax further. Her friends noticed, of course. "Hey, are you tired?" Mac asked softly, climbing onto the bed. 

"I... think so?" Heather muttered, rubbing her eye. Mac felt really nice, even though she was warm. It didn't bother her as much as it should have considering how hot she felt. "I don't know, I just wanna... lie here?"

Duke eyed her curiously, also climbing onto the bed. "Are you sick?" she tried. "You could have a fever. I read that they make you lethargic and tired." 

"But I'm not feeling anything that comes with a fever," Heather pointed out. "I just... want to stay like this?" Mac threw an arm around her and she snuggled in closer. This felt so nice. With both of them close to her like this, Heather felt more at home than she ever had. In fact, she was so content, she almost forgot her parents were home.

"Well, we don't mind!" Mac chirped, but then stopped. "Wait, do you mind, Heather? I don't want to speak for you or anything."

"I... I'm actually okay with it?" Duke shrugged, black eyes flicking down to her red-clad friend. "It feels... nice? Maybe our pack bond is strengthening or something."

Mac nodded enthusiastically. "We can look it up later."

For now, the three of them settled against Heather's pillows. Heather breathed in the comforting scent of her friends, while Duke and Mac let her strong scent soothe them into slumber. All three were out in moments. 

Sarah strode into the dining room to find only Mrs. Chandler remaining. She gave a respectful bow to the Lady of the House, regardless of how loosely that title was applied, and asked, "Is there anything Lady Chandler needs before I tend to Miss Heather?"

"Actually, Sarah, it appears Heather's status results came in..." Mrs. Chandler sighed. She honestly would have run a hand through her hair, but it took time and patience to tame her red curls into perfection and she was not ruining her hard work.

Sarah kept a careful face as nodded. She couldn't show surprise because that would be suspicious. If she brought up the mail, she should know Heather's results came in. Therefore, she took a different approach. "I recall. Miss Heather didn't let me know her status, though. She preferred to tell you herself, directly." It was only a partial lie.

Mrs. Chandler would have dragged a hand down her face if it wouldn't have smudged her makeup. Instead, she tapped her fingers against the table. "Well, unfortunately, she's an omega." Sarah gave no reaction, waiting. "I need you to give her and her two friends the Heat Talk. I believe Heather is currently experiencing her first heat cycle and I don't want any... _accidents_ , if you understand."

"Of course, Lady Chandler." 

Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Neither Heather nor her friends had hit puberty yet, so it's not like her heat cycle would immediately cause pregnancy just from them being in the same space. Still, she did agree. It's better the three knew what was going on so that they could be more prepared. The two alphas were likely going to be more protective of Heather as they all grew older, and especially when she was in heat. Helping them understand how to take care of her when she got like this would aid them in the future when Mr. Chandler finally decided Sarah was no longer useful. 

Making her way up the stairs, Sarah stopped outside of Heather's room. She could definitely smell the cycle better now that she was closer to the source. Carefully opening the door, she peeked in and smiled at seeing the three of them curled up together. The two alphas were already falling into their roles nicely. Heather looked so peaceful snuggled safely between the two of them. 

Sarah quietly shut the door and started toward the sitting room. The Heat Talk could wait. She wouldn't deny Heather any luxury, especially not on her heat cycle. Besides, they're only sleeping, and it's not like they had somewhere to be. It was still summer break.

Sitting down to wait, Sarah picked up a notebook and began thinking over the talking points she would need for when the girls woke up. 


	3. A Few Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Chandler sucks as a teacher. Sarah informs Mac and Duke about scenting, and those two come up with a way to make Heather feel better after her lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit more exposition in this one, but mostly, it's just Sarah, Duke, and Mac being the best, and Mr. Chandler not being the best.

Heather just wanted to sleep. She wanted to sink into her bed and forget the entire summer even happened at this point. Her status, her father's irritation and disappointment, her fear of other people finding out her status... it would be nice to just go back in time and erase it all from happening. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. So here she was, stuck in her father's lessons, learning how to mask being an omega. It was mostly stuff she already knew, stuff anybody could do if they had the guts and motivation. Stand tall, chin high, speak in a clear, authoritative tone, make everyone below you _feel_ their worthlessness. The problem came when he started ordering her to be more aggressive and confrontational. 

"Bigger, Heather!" her father huffed, watching her as she paced back and forth. "Project an aura of power, of influence. Intimidate anyone who looks at you. Make yourself as big as possible!"

Heather had been pacing for hours, working on seeming big, scary, untouchable. She was tired and no matter how much she did, it still didn't seem like enough for him. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. She used the posture Mother had been teaching her since she was five. Shoulders back, chin high, back straight... 

"No! You look too tense!"

Her father's voice cut into her concentration and Heather's bravado faded again. She turned to him expectantly, waiting for the critique. He always had some, and it tended to all be the same. Nothing actually useful, just some vague essence for her to follow. 

Mr. Chandler drew a hand down his face as he tried to get through to his daughter. How could he make her understand? She was an omega, a lowlife, useless in almost every way. Omegas weren't strong, influential, powerful, or charismatic. They weren't worth anything. They were there to fill space, do the menial work, and breed children. Nothing more. This world would eat Heather alive if she couldn't convince everyone that she was on top, that she was worth something. 

Vaguely, he wondered if it was worth his time to even train her at all. Perhaps, if Venus trained her, then she could pass herself off as a beta and get a job at least a little higher on the status ladder. It wouldn't compare to being an alpha, but she wouldn't be thrown to the filth like the rest of the omegas. 

No, no that wouldn't do. His family was known for having alphas. Anyone with the Chandler name carried that legacy on their shoulders. Even if he had to train her until her soles bled, he would make Heather a presentable alpha. 

With that resolve in mind, Mr. Chandler looked to Heather and said, "Try to look more relaxed when walking. You can't be tense or they'll set their sights on you, in a _negative_ way. You need to convince everyone that they are beneath you. Again, from the top."

Meanwhile, in the second floor sitting room, Sarah was working with Mac and Duke. She had been working with them almost as long as Mr. Chandler had been working with Heather. She wanted to prepare them for what would need to be done when they all returned to school next week. 

Mac bounced from foot to foot as their break ended. "Sarah, you said you had something important to tell us about today," she pointed out. "But all we've done is practice identifying Heather's scent in a crowd."

Sarah chuckled. Miss McNamara was a clever one. She stood up from where she had been arranging some of Heather's clothes and nodded. "Right, I think now's about a good time. Lord Chandler will be releasing Heather soon." She sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for the girls to come closer. 

Duke and Mac glanced to each other curiously. They had been making great progress in their lessons with Sarah, so they wondered what would be this important. Was it a big secret? They stepped closer to her, waiting for their instructions. 

"There's something the pair of you can do for Heather that will help her, yourselves, and any future packmates you have." Sarah looked at them seriously. "As I'm sure you girls know, Lord Chandler has a... less than ideal outlook on status." Both girls grimaced at the understatement. "Well, unfortunately, this is something he won't approve of, but it is necessary all the same. Have either of you been scented before?"

Mac raised her hand excitedly. "Yeah! My mom scents me all the time when I'm upset!"

Duke shrugged as she agreed, "Yeah, my mom and dad scent me, too. Not even just when I'm upset."

Sarah smiled. "Good, good. I'm afraid Heather doesn't have much experience with scenting. Her father doesn't believe it to be something alphas should engage in. They are supposed to all be in control, not to rely on others. For him, only the weak need the comfort of others to progress."

"But that's not what it's for," Duke huffed, crossing her arms. She'd read enough about packs and mating to know that scenting was important for everyone. "There's more to it than just comfort."

"I know that," Sarah reassured her. "It's just the way Heather was raised. However, the two of you need to scent her as often as possible."

"Us?" Mac asked, tilting her head. 

"The lessons Lord Chandler are putting her through are going to take a toll on her," Sarah explained seriously. "She's being trained like an alpha, but she's _not_ one. It's going to be more draining on her than usual. But she takes comfort in you two. If you scent her, or even just give her something that smells like you, it will go a long way for her."

The two girls nodded in understanding. They knew that scenting was important. Their parents had done it enough times and on plenty of different occasions, that they just took it as a regular thing. They always just thought Heather didn't want the comfort, but if that's the way she was raised, it made sense she wouldn't even know what scenting was, let alone be uncomfortable with it. 

Duke looked down at the ground, the wheels in her head turning quickly. "Sarah?" she asked after a moment. "Can I... try something when Heather's finished with her lessons?"

"Of course, Miss Duke," Sarah told her. "I'm open to ideas."

"Okay, wait here." Duke tugged Mac's hand. "I'm going to need you, too, Heather."

Mac brightened. She waved to Sarah as she followed Duke out of the room. This was going to be fun. 

Sarah watched the two of them run off with a bemused smile. Those two were always up to something. She stood from the chair and made her way toward the first floor, not wanting to disturb whatever surprise her two students were preparing. Instead, she stood near the living room doorway and peeked in on Heather's lessons. Anyone with eyes could see the tension rolling off the poor girl. And clearly, Mr. Chandler's yelling wasn't doing much to help, either. For all his business accomplishments, the man was a terrible teacher. 

After a few minutes of watching, Sarah was relieved when Mr. Chandler sighed and stood. "We'll pick this up again tomorrow," he told Heather. "Go over what you've learned today. I expect to see results, Heather."

"Yes, Daddy," Heather said. Her voice was clear, but Sarah could hear her exhaustion. That wouldn't do. Making her way to the kitchen, Sarah opened the fridge and snagged the plate of snacks she'd had prepared every day since Mr. Chandler found out his daughter's status. Having something to munch on always made Heather a little happier after his lessons. Sarah smiled and made her way back to the second floor to wait. 

Heather rubbed her face as she trudged up the stairs. Her legs and feet hurt and she just wanted to go to bed. Arriving on the second landing, she found Sarah already waiting for her. Heather did her best to stand tall, but Sarah shook her head and pulled her into a hug. 

"None of that," Sarah told her. "Even alphas need a rest."

Heather sighed and sank against Sarah. "School's going to suck," she muttered, muffled by Sarah's shirt. 

"It won't so long as you have your pack with you," Sarah told her gently. "You're not alone, Heather." 

Sometimes it felt like it. Heather felt like it was her against the world, especially with her status reveal. But Sarah was right. So long as she had her best friends... maybe things wouldn't be so bad. 

"Come on," Sarah cooed, guiding Heather toward the third floor. "Let's get you some rest. You must be tired."

"Understatement," Heather snorted with a smile. 

On the third floor landing, Sarah spotted the other Heathers peeking out of a guest bedroom. They put their fingers to their lips and Sarah nodded. She guided Heather to her room. 

Heather shuffled into her bedroom. At least no matter what happened, her room would always be the same. She just about threw herself on her bed and sank into the blankets. The blankets that smelled very strongly of her best friends. Heather blinked, grabbing her pillow and holding it to her face. It smelled like McNamara. Heather held it to her chest, some of her tension fading as she basked in the scent of her best friends. 

Mac and Duke joined Sarah in the doorway, giggling as they watched their friend relax. Sarah glanced down at them questioningly and Duke whispered, "We scented her bed. She was bound to be tired, so I figured we could start now."

"Yeah!" Mac chirped. "And even better, it smells like an alpha! So her scent won't even be that recognizable in the morning!"

Sarah stared at them in shock. She knew they were smart, but she hadn't expected them to think that far ahead. She glanced from the two girls beside her to her charge. Heather seemed to be in heaven, rolling around on her bed contentedly and wrapping herself in her friends' scents. 

Well, maybe this could work out after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Chandler, can you please go take a long, long, LONG walk?
> 
> To be honest, I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but I couldn't quite figure out how to make it work. It took all day to write because I went through so many different drafts.


	4. Time for School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Heathers head to their first day of school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, wanted to get a chapter out a day, but family stuff got in the way. Ah well, hope you guys enjoy!

Heather took a deep breath, hopping in place as she shook herself out. She could do this. She could do this. It was just middle school. She'd already gotten through one year of it. She could do this. 

Sarah stood off to the side with an amused smile, holding her lunchbox in one hand and her suppressants and blockers in the other. Mac was waiting patiently with a cup of water, and Duke dutifully hefted Heather's backpack.

Heather spun toward them. "Okay, okay, we got the plan down, right?"

All three nodded and began to recite. They knew it was to ease her nerves more than anything. "If anyone asks your status, you'll tell them you haven't started presenting yet," Sarah told her. "The administration has been, ahem, _informed_ by your father that you are not to be put in the Omegas and Pack Life classes."

"You're our pack leader like always," Mac piped up. "Heather and I will keep close to you to make sure our scents mask any of yours."

"We're going to stay away from any omegas, just in case they realize you're using scent blockers," Duke finished calmly.

Heather nodded. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "Okay." She strode to Sarah, swallowing the pills with the help of Mac's water. "I can do this," she said softly. " _We_ can do this."

Mac and Duke nodded. Everything will be okay. They could do this. "Six years," Duke told her gently. "And then, you don't have to hide."

Heather smiled at them and accepted her lunchbox from Sarah. "To the car, all three of you," Sarah said, ushering them outside. "It's going to be a close call getting you there on time with traffic."

All three girls piled into the car and Sarah started off down the road. In the backseat, Heather clutched her lunchbox tightly and took slow deep breaths. Duke and Mac rubbed their faces against her neck soothingly and she relaxed a little bit. They always knew what to do to help her.

"Have a good day, girls," Sarah called as they stopped in the school parking lot. 

"Thanks, Sarah," the girls chorused as they stepped out and headed toward the school. Before they went inside, Heather took a deep breath. 

Mac watched her carefully. She could see her friend's tension a mile away. She reached out to grasp Heather's hand and smiled. "You don't have to be all tense," she said. "Just be you."

Heather shook her hands out. "But what if I let my guard down?"

"Heather and I will be there to back you up," Mac reminded her. "We always have been, and we always will be." Duke nodded in agreement. 

Heather looked between the two of them. They had each others' backs. They were in this together. 

"Deep breath," Duke ordered quietly. She could see Heather loosening up a little. It would make her look more natural. 

After a deep breath, Heather nodded. "Let's go."

The three of them strode into the school and glanced around. The eighth graders were already being rowdy, while the sixth graders kept to the sidelines. The trio could spot some of their own classmates from last year and nodded to them. 

"Our lockers are closer this year," Mac chirped excitedly. 

Duke wanted to touch Heather here, but that wasn't good. Heather's father had a very strict idea of what alphas did and touching counted as comfort. It would only be detrimental to be too affectionate with Heather. Instead, she just looked at her and said, "It'll only be a moment. You won't even notice we're gone."

Heather gave a shrug, but her friends understood. Mac grinned and practically leaped across the hallway to her locker. Duke slipped over to a locker a little down the hall. Heather opened her locker and dropped her backpack in the space. 

As she did every year, she stuck her mirror to the door. Her pictures with Mac and Duke were put on the shelf provided. She'd hang them when she had time. She neatly arranged her notebooks at the bottom until she needed them. 

"Back!" Mac said, stepping back to her side as she stood. Duke appeared beside them and Heather flipped her hair. 

"Alright, girls, let's rock a new school year."

~~~

All things considered, school wasn't going that badly. Barely anyone paid any mind to Heather outside of the usual admiration that came with just knowing who she was. Heather couldn't help preening at that. It was always nice to know where she stood on the hierarchical ladder, even with her status. 

Thankfully, there hadn't been any talk of her status so far. It seemed the blockers and her friends' scents were holding up really well. Good thing, too, since a lot of the other students had already started presenting. For all they knew, she hadn't started presenting yet, but she could hear the whispers easily enough. Most of them were debating on whether or not she would make the alpha cut that the Chandler family was known for or if she would be a beta like her mother. Heather tried not to think about it too much, knowing what her actual status was. 

At lunch, the three of them sat together like usual, opening their lunches as they talked about their day so far. "I swear, Baxter has been waiting the entire summer just to assign us homework on the first day," Mac grumbled. "Can you believe he really gave us three worksheets, front _and_ back?"

"Tell me about it," Duke sighed, flipping through her planner. "Concorn gave us a worksheet, too. Naming as many of these periodic elements as we can. As if most of the class isn't going to just cheat anyway."

Heather huffed. "Well, at least they only gave worksheets. Stiles assigned an entire essay. Sure, it's only supposed to be hand-written, front and back of two sheets of paper, but it's still only the first day. It's like they've got nothing better to do all summer than make up homework for us."

They all laughed together before Mac gasped. "Oh my god, check out Hannah's dress! Those colors clash _so_ much!"

"And Destinee's braid is sloppy, too," Duke snickered. "It was probably done in a hurry."

"We could probably help her out with that," Mac shrugged. "But Hannah's dress is such a lost cause."

Heather shook her head. "Honestly, what are their parents thinking, letting them dress that way? It's a crime."

They spent the rest of the hour eating and pointing out things they could change about the other students to make them look more presentable. It had become a common practice between the three near the end of last school year. Mostly, it was just a way to pass the time without getting bored, but at times, the group did seriously consider giving some of the other students makeovers. 

The bell to return to classes rang and the three of them split up. Heather went off to study hall while the others went to their Alphas and Packs training. This was also part of the plan. Since Heather wasn't allowed in the alpha classes, the other two would have to pass on the information they learned. Her study hall would actually be an undercover way for her to learn more about the omega classes. 

Settling into her seat, Heather glanced up as Ms. Smith handed her a packet with a discreet smile. Heather lifted it and found that it was a comprehensive packet for the omega class. A thick one, too. Heather rolled her eyes in annoyance, but opened the packet anyway to begin reading. Better to get started as soon as possible. 

Just like the first half of the day, school seemed to pass just as easily as usual. Well, it almost did. Unfortunately, the group hit a snag when their shared gym class came around. Something they hadn't considered came into play. 

"Alright, just a light jog around the gym and then locker assignment," Coach Fern called. "I want three laps around the gym. After you get your locker number and its combination, you're free to do whatever until the bell rings. I want all of you to have a change of clothes by next class."

Immediately, most of the boys in the class took off, trying to outdo one another and show off. Everyone else was fine to do the light jog instructed. As usual, Mac took off at a slightly faster pace than her friends. While Duke grumbled under her breath about having to do exercise on the first day of classes and Mac reassured her from the front of the group, Heather just stared ahead in boredom, keeping count of the laps. 

Around the time of the third lap, though, Mac noticed something. She could smell Heather. And not just her perfume, either, she could actually smell the scent coming off of her. It must've been because Heather was sweating. It was washing away Mac and Duke's scents. She turned back to her friends with wide eyes. Not good, not good!

"We need a plan!" she hissed to the others. 

Duke glanced around. Being behind Heather, she could smell her much stronger, too. She turned to the small crowd waiting by Coach. "We need to slow down until everyone is either in the locker room or on the bleachers," she whispered to the others. 

Mac nodded and slowed their pace, all of them watching the crowd expectantly. No one on the bleachers paid them any mind as they passed, too wrapped up in their own conversations. As the last students stepped up to receive their locker and combination, the trio slowed to a stop, walking toward the teacher. Mac and Duke kept close to Heather to help mask her scent as Coach Fern handed them all their locker numbers and combinations. 

Once down in the locker rooms, the three of them ignored the lockers completely and slipped into the bathroom area. "I'll go get my brush," Mac said quietly. "I'm the fastest, so I'm least likely to get caught."

"Got it," Duke agreed, taking off the light jacket she'd worn today. She wrapped it around Heather. "This should keep any suspicion off you until Heather gets back."

Heather pouted as she thought over this. Her sweat carried her scent and would overpower any scenting her friends did. The logical conclusion was to just not sweat. "Crud," she grumbled. "This means I might have to skip gym from now on..."

"But you and Heather actually _like_ gym," Duke pointed out. 

"But if it risks exposing me, what choice do I have?" Heather huffed, gripping Duke's jacket tighter around her. "It's unfair, but I gotta."

Duke leaned against one of the sinks and hummed. She knew that they couldn't risk everyone finding out that Heather was an omega. That would ruin the plan. But that brought up some problems. Mac loved gym and would be sad to give it up. But they couldn't just leave Heather alone while she was skipping. Plenty of eighth graders skipped classes, too. Heather would be a perfect target for them.

Black eyes flicked up to her friend and Duke blinked. "Do you think Heather would be okay being in class by herself?" she asked slowly.

Heather tilted her head. "I think she should be fine," she said. "She's more athletic than the both of us anyway. She'll have the entire class in her pocket before the year is over, just like last year."

"You two talkin' about me?" Mac chirped, bouncing back in with her hairbrush and handing it to Heather. 

"We're going to be skipping gym from now on," Heather told her in a matter-of-fact tone. "You're going to be alone in the class." She turned to Mac to gauge a reaction. 

Mac nodded carefully. "That sounds fine, actually. I don't mind." She looked to Duke. "You two should be careful not to get caught out in the halls, though."

"We'll be fine," Duke shrugged. 

Heather finished brushing her hair and floofed it, handing it back to Mac. Rubbing herself in Duke's jacket for a moment, she took it off and looked to her friends. Both stepped forward and rubbed their faces into her neck. Mac wrapped her in a hug just in case some of the scent from her clothes leaked out.

"We should be good," she said, stepping back. "Ready?"

Heather flipped her hair and nodded. As she led her friends back out to the gym, she mentally shook herself. _I can do this,_ she told herself. Everything would work out. It was only six years. She could do this. _They_ could do this. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, there's a time skip to Freshman year of high school. And some more characters come into play!


	5. High School Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Heathers are invited to their very first high school party, and find out what it's like to be part of the cool crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe me if I told you I was thinking about how to write this chapter before I even started chapter three? Cause I was. 
> 
> content warning: underage drinking

"Check it out! Heather, Heather, and Heather are looking hot as usual."

"Shut up, idiot. As if they'd look anything less than fine as hell."

"Check out Heather M's eye shadow! It's such a great color on her."

"I still can't believe their parents let them put on makeup. How is that fair? I wish my mom would let me do that. But it's always, 'you don't need it, you look beautiful as you are'."

"Your mom hasn't met the Heathers."

Mac giggled as she waved to passersby. Duke glared at any of the people who looked like they actually wanted to approach them. Heather walked in front, completely unbothered by the whispering. Ever since school started, the three of them had been the subject of discussion more often than not. It helped boost their status in the school, even though it was their first year. Since they'd grown up with most of these people, it was no surprise that the awe they'd acquired in middle school had carried over to high school. 

"Listen to them," Duke sneered. "I can't believe they're really so desperate for something to talk about that they'll complain about us being able to use makeup. Just go buy some. Freaking losers."

"They're scared," Mac pointed out, bouncing along behind Heather. "Scared of their parents finding out and grounding them or something."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Duke muttered, turning her nose up. 

Heather glanced around, noting the stares coming their way. Her ears twitched when she caught some of the whispers and she tilted her head. Some of them were talking about her status and the fact that she hadn't started presenting. The nerve. She would present when she damn well pleased. It was none of their business. Still...

Looking down at herself, Heather sighed. "Come on," she ordered her friends. The three of them dipped into a nearby bathroom and found someone already in there. The girl squeaked when she found herself faced with two alphas and Heather Chandler. She quickly scurried from the room, hoping not to incur any wrath. 

Heather's eyes followed and narrowed speculatively. That... might actually be useful. She'll think about it later, though. Right now, she stepped over to the mirror and eyed her reflection. As usual, everything was in order and she was flawless, apart from her freckles anyway. 

Turning to the others, Heather asked, "Do I smell alright?" It was their little code. _"Is my scent concealed?"_ Talking in code allowed them to discuss Heather's status without any eavesdroppers catching on.

"You smell great, Heather," Mac told her, leaning forward to rub against her cheek just in case. 

"Of course, you could always use a little more of us on you," Duke huffed. She also rubbed her face against Heather's neck and cheek. 

Heather rolled her eyes, with a small smile. "Shut up, Heather," she said, sticking her tongue out at her friends. Duke responded with an eye roll of her own as they all headed back out of the bathroom.

Almost immediately, Mac bumped into one of the varsity football players. She bounced off of his broad chest and into her friends. Heather and Duke caught her as the football player and his friend turned to them in confusion. The three girls blinked up at them, waiting to see if they would do anything. The players eyed them curiously and one laughed. 

"You three look a little fiery," he chuckled. 

His friend bumped his shoulder. "What, it's a couple'a alphas and little Heather Chandler. They're freshies this year, right?" 

Heather felt a small stab of indignation at being called little. She wasn't little! Standing tall, she glared at the two of them. She tried to emulate her father's disapproving gaze. To her surprise, and everyone else's, it actually made the boy shrink a little. How unexpected. 

"Hey, now, don't be mad," he laughed. There was a slight hint of nervousness in his voice and he cleared his throat. "How's about you three join us at my place tonight? I'm throwing a party. I usually don't invite freshmen, but since you took the time to slam into me, I might as well see how a couple'a freshies handle their first big party."

Duke and Mac glanced to each other before turning to Heather. As the pack's leader, that decision fell on her. Heather eyed the football players carefully. If they went, it would be good for their reputation at the school. He said he didn't usually invite freshmen, so to be freshmen and invited to a high school party would make them legendary, at least among their class. 

"Alright," Heather agreed, a smirk sliding onto her lips. "We'll come to your party. It's the least you can do for practically running over Heather."

The two boys blinked at her before laughing. "Oh yeah, they've got the spirit!" the one Mac bumped into cheered. "See ya tonight then, ladies. Party start's at eight." 

They waved as they continued on their way down the hall. The rest of the hallways stared at the trio in shock. A group of _freshmen_ had been invited to a party by one of the _juniors?_ Even after bumping into him. That hardly ever happened. Usually, freshmen had to crash those kinds of parties in order to even experience one. Whispers circulated up and down the hallway, everyone in awe as the three girls continued on their way. 

"Can you believe it!" Mac squealed excitedly. "We actually got invited to a _real_ party! I heard they always go all night long."

"Yeah," Duke agreed. "Some people don't even leave until noon the next day!"

"What should we wear?" Mac asked, bouncing along as they made their way to their homeroom. "I bet my dark yellow dress with the sparkling collar would be a _great_ outfit!"

Duke tapped her chin. "I think I'll wear that light green one my mom just bought me. The off the shoulder one."

"With the flower pattern down the left side? That one's too cute. You should totally wear it."

Heather listened to her friends as she went over the last ten minutes. The girl in the bathroom had been afraid when faced with their pack. And the football player actually looked scared when she'd glared at him. She could instill fear. She could make them fear her and, in doing so, stop them from prying about her status. If they were scared of making her angry, then they would avoid talking about anything that could make her mad. 

"Heather?"

She glanced up to find both of her friends looking at her. "Yeah?" she coughed, straightening up. 

"We were just asking what you were going to wear tonight," Duke explained. "I think you should wear the dark red dress, the one that flares out at the bottom."

"And I thought the strapless one with the shawl would look good," Mac piped in. "What do you think?"

"I'll have to see what's in my closet," Heather shrugged. "We can get ready at Mac's place. I'll grab some of my dresses from home and walk over."

Her friends nodded. "Sounds like a plan," Duke agreed, opening one of her books. 

Whispers followed them for the rest of the school day. Several of their classmates even glared at them, jealous that they'd been invited to a party while all they could do was crash and, inevitably, get thrown out. Some of the older students shot them thumbs-up and congratulated them on scoring an invite. There was a hint of mockery in their tone, as if they thought the group couldn't handle it, but for the most part, they were all impressed. 

At the end of the day, Sarah came to pick up the group and Heather told her what was up for the night. "Well, that sounds exciting," Sarah praised them. "But remember to be careful, girls. The older kids tend to get rowdy and I don't want any of you getting hurt at your very first party."

"We'll be okay, Sarah," Heather told her, puffing up her chest proudly. "We'll stick together and keep Heather out of trouble."

"Hey!" Mac pouted as Duke snickered on Heather's other side. "I don't get into that much trouble! And if it weren't for me, we wouldn't even be going!"

"True," Duke laughed. "I guess we can thank you for that. But still, better to keep our guard up."

Sarah smiled at them. She wasn't entirely sure what these parties involved, but she didn't want her girls to end up hurt. She'd torch the house and make it look like an accident if any of the three came home upset. 

She dropped off Duke first, since her house was closest to the school. Then she dropped off Mac and drove Heather the rest of the way down their street. Heather hopped out and raced up the stairs. She needed to find a good outfit. She'd also have to take an extra dose of blockers and suppressants, just in case they ended up staying the whole night. 

Heather strode into her closet, looking around for all of her dresses. She needed a good one for tonight, one that would make them notice her, one that would be hard to forget. If she made a good impression, she could convince them to invite her pack to more parties, which would only boost their status in the school. She had to make this good. 

Sarah watched Heather root through her closet and shook her head with an amused smile. She turned to the vanity and eyed the makeup, lotions, and hair care products all neatly lined up. Slowly, Sarah began picking out the best ones to help Heather look her best at the party. As she was sliding them into a bag, Heather stepped out of the closet and held up a long-sleeved red dress with lines of sequins spaced out on the skirt. 

"What about this one?" she said, holding it up to her. "It's good, right?"

"It looks gorgeous," Sarah agreed. She pulled the drawstring on the bag and handed it to Heather. "Will you be showering here or at Miss McNamara's?"

"It'll be better to shower at Heather's." Heather set the dress on her bed and headed toward her en suite bathroom. "That way, no one catches my scent while I'm walking over."

Sarah nodded and helped Heather gather her bathing essentials. Once everything was set, Heather grabbed up her makeup supplies and her dress. She made a beeline right for the door, too excited at the prospect of going to her first real party to wait. Sarah reached out to her quickly as she opened the door. 

"Heather," she said, gentle but serious. "Keep your phone on at all times. If you need me to come get you and your friends, _do not hesitate_ to call me. Alright?"

Heather gave her a firm nod. "I got it, Sarah. I have you on speed dial."

Sarah relaxed and gave her a little push out the door. "Then have a great night."

Heather strode down the street to Mac's house. As she went, she couldn't help the thought that she was forgetting something. But everybody feels that when they're excited, right? So it was no big deal. No time to worry. She had a party to prepare for. 

~~~

"Okay," Mac called, bounding back into the room. "Mom says she's gonna take us to the party. Not sure about our ride back, but we'll figure it out."

Duke glanced over from where she was brushing her damp hair in front of Mac's vanity. "Sounds good," she replied. "Heather should be almost done in the shower."

Mac plopped down on her bed and sifted through her hair products. "This is going to be so great! I bet there's gonna be a bunch of hot guys there. Like the senior on the basketball team, the one with the buzzcut."

"I hope some of the honor students will be there," Duke murmured, working out a tough tangle. "If they see me there, they might put in some good words for me when I join National Honor Society."

"As if you need them to," Mac chuckled, grabbing her comb and joining Duke by the vanity. "You're the smartest person I know. You and that one girl who really hates all the Literature and Composition teachers in the school. You two are a shoe-in for NHS."

Duke puffed up at the praise. It was always nice when someone pointed out how smart she was. "If you say so. Still, we'll all be in the Society together. I want them to like me."

"Don't worry, Heather," Mac told her softly. She rubbed their cheeks together affectionately. "What's not to like? You're great. Because Heather and I say so."

Duke rolled her eyes, but returned the nuzzle. They went back to their hair as the shower water shut off. A few moments later, Heather strode out of the bathroom in one of Mac's robes, drying her hair. She leaned against the vanity on Duke's other side and watched her friends. 

Once Duke finished with the brush, Heather plucked it from her fingers and began brushing her own hair. Duke ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. "What should I do with it?" she asked the others. 

Heather and Mac eyed her speculatively. "A ponytail seems too relaxed," Mac murmured. 

"And it would be no good to leave it down," Heather added. "It'll knot and might get in your face while you're dancing."

"Ooh!" Mac moved behind Duke and began running her hands through her friend's hair. "What about a French braid? I can do it for you."

"That'll work," Duke said, leaning back into Mac's hands. "Make it tight, though. I don't want it coming out while I'm moving around. I heard these parties have a bunch of people and if I get into a fight, I don't want anybody pulling out my hair."

Mac and Heather scoffed at that. "Like anybody would pick a fight with us," Heather laughed. "Fight one, you fight all three. And we are undefeated."

"Heather, it was _one_ fight against some geek in eighth grade," Duke snorted. "Heather could've totally taken him on her own."

"Yes, but it sent a message," Heather pointed out, working on a particularly hard knot. "Don't mess with our pack."

Her friends just smiled as Mac worked quickly. In only a minute or two, Duke's hair was braided down her back. "We'll need to get you a necklace so your neck doesn't look all bare and stuff," Mac muttered, opening the drawer she kept some of her jewelry in. 

Meanwhile, Heather went about her hair care routine, moisturizing it as she watched her friends. "Try the silver one," she called to Mac. "With the pearl pendant."

"Oh, good call!" Mac chirped, lifting it out and testing it against Duke's neck. "It'll make you look awesome, but we gotta make sure it looks good with your dress."

"I have to put the dress on before I do my makeup anyway." Duke pushed back and let Mac take the vanity chair. 

Heather grabbed her favorite lotion and started lathering her arms, and face. Duke stepped into the closet and stepped out a few moments later, wearing her dress. She sat on the bed and Heather tossed the lotion to her. Mac, meanwhile fluffed her hair up. While Duke's hair would be a problem to leave down, her own blonde curls wouldn't be as much of an issue. Still, she didn't want to go completely unaccessorized. Grabbing a black headband, she slipped it into her hair, tucking her bangs back. 

She glanced to the side and spotted Heather's favorite red scrunchie. Swiping it, she moved behind Heather and began styling her hair. Heather's hair, like her own, would be fine if left down, but she couldn't be unaccessorized either. Mac ran her fingers through the hair near Heather's face and pulled it back into a ponytail. She left most of the back flowing down her friend's shoulder and scooped the rest into a high ponytail. 

Duke tossed Mac the lotion and Heather stepped into the closet, returning with her dress on. Once Mac had changed, the girls did each others' makeup and headed down the stairs. Mrs. McNamara drove them to the house and the trio took a moment to center themselves. 

"We've got this," Heather told them. "We can do this."

"Let's show'em what we're made of." Mac beamed, stealing a glance up at the house. 

"We'll be legends if we can get through this without any trouble," Duke agreed. 

All three nodded to each other and strode inside. The party was already in full swing by the time they got there. The music thumped so loud it shook the floor around it. Teenagers crowded into every corner of the first floor. Most of the lights had been dimmed down, or altogether removed to provide a more club-like atmosphere. 

"Whoa," Mac whispered. "Everything looks different in the dark."

They made their way through the throng of students. It looked like the whole football team was there, even the junior varsity students. So they weren't the only freshmen, but they were the only ones invited who weren't on the team. 

"Yo! The Heathers are here!" someone shouted. "Check out the freshies!"

A small group surrounded the girls. Mac shrank back against Heather while Heather and Duke stood tall, watching the group. They rarely made the first move. They needed to gauge their opponent's intentions, so they waited. 

Someone shoved their way through the crowd and handed the girls some empty cups. "Whatcha doin' just standin' here, people? Show the ladies how the Rottweilers party!"

A cheer went up through the house and the crowd dispersed to do their own things around the house. "Hey, I'm Jace," said the one that saved them. "Drinks are that'a way in the kitchen, dance floor is in the living room, you wanna smoke, take it to the patio out back, and if ya wanna have some, uh, _private company_ , there's a few guest rooms upstairs." He gave them a wide grin and backed toward the dance floor. "Enjoy yourselves, relax, rage, all that shit!"

The girls watched him disappear before glancing down at their cups. "I guess we should go get something to drink," Heather shrugged, leading the way through the crowd. 

Everywhere they looked, everyone looked like they were having a great time. Some stood off to the side, talking with each other, some people smoked out the back, and there were more than a few people making out on whatever bit of furniture they could find. 

"Yo, McNamara!" Mac turned at the shout and spotted Tiffany, the cheerleading captain. "Didn't actually expect your group to show up. How ya likin' the party so far?"

"It's alright," Mac shrugged. 

Tiffany laughed and tugged her arm. "C'mon! You can't just stand around. Dance with me. Let's show these losers how cheerleaders tear it up, huh?"

Before Mac could protest, she was already being dragged off toward the living room. Heather and Duke watched her, sipping their drinks. "Well, that was unexpected," Duke said after a few gulps of... what was this? Punch? "Think she'll be okay?"

"She should be fine," Heather said. "And we can just watch the dance floor to make sure no one gets any bright ideas."

Duke nodded and they made their way around the first floor, keeping the dance floor in sight. 

Mac was actually having a great time. She loved anything that had to do with being active and this was no exception. The music thumped so hard she felt it in her chest and it was a better high than any of the weed being passed around could ever be. It was just her and the music, the smell of sweat, cologne, and perfume mixing around her, the heat of all the bodies bumping together. Mac couldn't have been happier if she tried.

Duke tilted her head and bumped shoulders with Heather. "She looks like she's doing alright. Wanna check out some of the other rooms? I think I hear some people playing games."

"Yeah, let's go." Heather cast a last glance at Mac. "We can come check to make sure she's okay after a few rounds of whatever they've got going on." 

Both made their way toward the gaming room, stumbling slightly. In the room, people crowded a few tables, playing... beer pong?

"Who's next!" the varsity quarterback, Jackson, shouted. "Come on! Who wants to try and beat the champ!"

Both Heather and Duke perked up at that. "I got this," Duke sneered, handing Heather her cup. 

Heather watched her with a bemused grin. None of them have played beer pong before, but if it was anything like a carnival game, Duke was about to crush a _lot_ of people's egos. When Duke stepped up to play, a round of laughter shook the table. 

"Aw, the little freshie thinks she can stand a chance?" Jackson smirked. "Alright, then. I'll show ya how the big kids play, little lady. Mark, give'er a ball."

Duke grinned. Sure, her sight was a little blurry--did they seriously spike the damn punch?--but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Each side of the table had six cups, each arranged in a pyramid. Three in the back, two in the middle, one in the front. Taking aim, Duke sunk her ball into the middle cup in the back row with ease. 

A cheer shook the room as Jackson drank the beer and took aim with his own ball. He sank it into Duke's front cup. She drank it down and took aim again. The entire room was watching now. Several cheered for Duke's win as she made every shot, almost by magic. Jackson's frustration and already drunken state caused him to miss more and more until Duke won the game. Thunderous applause shook the floor and more opponents stepped up to the challenge. 

Heather smirked at her friend and melted back out toward the living room. Duke was hard to beat at games like that. Anyone who challenged her would be defeated with ease. Heather looked over toward the dance floor to find Mac still having the time of her life. Good. Both of her friends were fine for now. Heather stumbled a little as she made her way back toward the kitchen. God, she needed something to drink. Her mouth was so dry. Pouring herself some more punch, Heather made her way out onto the patio. There were people smoking, but plenty of people were just lounging around the backyard. 

This, she could get used to. Downing another cup as she basked in the peaceful outdoor atmosphere, Heather felt her chest lighten. Oh wow, this is some good stuff, holy shit. Heather dipped back inside to grab some more. As she was gulping her third--or fourth?--cup, Heather groaned. 

"Oh shit," she huffed. "Shit, shit, shit."

She was so hot. So damn hot. And not because of the party, either. God, not now. Why now? She was finally starting to relax! She needed to get somewhere secluded. Didn't that guy, Jace, say there were guest rooms upstairs for privacy?

"Hey, there," a voice said behind her. Heather turned to see some of the junior varsity players smirking at her. If she remembered right, Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly. They were in her grade and were currently, both sporting the biggest shit-eating grins Heather's ever seen. 

"Need some help there?" Kurt chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Can't leave a hottie like you all by her lonesome now can we?"

Heather knew this was _bad news_. She also knew that she wasn't sober anymore and therefore wouldn't be able to properly type a message to Sarah. Mac and Duke were preoccupied with their own thing, and weren't close enough to call out to.

She needed a plan and she needed one quick. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was starting to get long, so I broke it into pieces. Also, yes, Mac did mention Veronica.


	6. Growing Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather gets herself to (relative) safety and ends up expanding her pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know family trips are meant to be spent, you know, with family, but there was no way I was letting my ideas for this chapter escape me. I haven't had the time to proofread, though, so any and all mistakes are my bad. Enjoy.

Okay, time to take stock of the situation. She was in a house full of drunken teenagers, herself being one of them. Two obviously horny boys were blocking her escape. She had forgotten to take extra suppressants and blockers, so now her heat cycle was coming. Her two friends were not in positions to help her.

There was only one thing Heather could do.

Taking a deep breath, Heather tried to muster up as much focus as she could in this state. She smiled at the two boys and tilted her chin downward slightly. She'd seen her mother do this a few times to get whatever it was she wanted from some businessmen. If she could play along, these boys might be useful.

"You two look really strong," she gushed, batting her eyelashes at them. "You must work out."

Both boys puffed up their chests proudly. "Yeah!" Kurt grinned. "I'm gonna be the next Varsity quarterback!" He lifted his arm and flexed. He was decently built, but definitely not something to gawk at just yet. Even so, Heather persisted.

"Really?" she gasped. "You're gonna be the strongest on the team. Probably even the _captain!_ "

"I-I'm gonna be the fullback!" Ram piped up. "O-or maybe the runningback. Whatever. I'm gonna be in Varsity, too!"

Jeez, these two must've been desperate. Fine, it helped Heather's plan along. "That's impressive," she said, forcing as much fake awe into her voice as she could muster. It was getting hotter. She needed to speed this along before everyone smelled her. "You know, I always wanted to spend the night with football players."

That did the trick. The boys shared a grin before Kurt stepped forward and took her hand. "Well, tonight's your lucky night! We can show ya a good time!"

Heather had little doubt that these two were just as much virgins as she was. Still, she allowed herself to be guided up the stairs. Good, most of the party was downstairs, so if she got far away from that, she'd be able to mask herself better. She knew going off with a pair of boys in a strange house was not at all ideal, but even if something did happen--she really, _REALLY_ hoped it didn't--only these two would know and she'd be able to do damage control.

Kurt guided them all into one of the guest rooms Jace mentioned. Ram followed and locked the door so they wouldn't be interrupted. This was it. The boys were finally gonna get some. Then the Varsity guys wouldn't tease them about being virgins.

"So," Kurt said, wiping his hands on his jeans. "How do you wanna do this?" He couldn't believe this hot girl actually wanted to do it with them. They'd scored big getting _Heather Chandler_ in a room with them _._

Heather pointed to the bed. "Climb up, boys." She tried to focus through their scents filling the room. She _wanted_ them to touch her, but she also _didn't_ want them to touch her. It was getting so hard to focus, but she persisted. She had to. Too much was at stake.

Ram scrambled up onto the bed and Kurt followed. Both of them removed their shirts. That's what happened, right? The guy always takes off his shirt first so the girl can be impressed with how strong he looks. They turned to Heather expectantly.

"Okay, here's the deal," she told them. "You two are going to sit here and talk to me. You are allowed to kiss and nuzzle my neck and you can touch anywhere the clothing is touching. Anything further and I'll break your hands, clear?"

"Damn, that's bogus," Ram whined. "I wanted to get laid."

Heather reached over and gripped his shoulder, digging her fingers in painfully and making him wince. "I am horny, drunk, and have _a lot_ of adrenaline running through me right now. You do _not_ want to piss me off."

She let him go and snapped, "When I tell you to do something, I don't want to hear your shitty complaints, I want to hear 'yes, Heather'. Got it?"

"Y-yes, Heather," both boys mumbled.

"Good." Heather climbed into Kurt's lap and snuggled herself under his chin. Panic must have been helping her focus, but now that they weren't near the party, her heat cycle was in full swing. She _really_ wanted them to touch her, but she'd be damned if she would let them while she was drunk. 

Kurt gave Ram a lopsided grin and wrapped his arms loosely around Heather. This is the closest either of them had ever gotten to a girl and it was _awesome!_ Sure, they weren't getting laid, but how many people could say they'd gotten to feel up _Heather Chandler?_

Ram scooted closer and tentatively reached out. He decided to start small and safe. He rubbed her back. He would feel her up eventually! Just... give him a minute. He didn't want any broken hands.

Heather relaxed into their grip and a small part of her felt a bit better. She gave a soft sigh and ordered, "Now, talk to me. Tell me about yourselves. Distract me from how hot it is in here."

"It's not hot, you're just naturally gorgeous," Kurt snickered.

Any other time, Heather would have rolled her eyes at the cheesy pickup line, but with the alcohol and her current state of mind, she couldn't help a chuckle. "That one was good," she laughed. "Terrible, but good. Keep going."

The boys looked at each other and shrugged. If this was as good as they were gonna get, they might as well make the most of it. So, they started talking, from football to TV to videogames, they brought up whatever came to mind.

Downstairs, the party still raged. Mac panted as she grabbed a water bottle from a cooler next to the punch table. She couldn't believe how much fun this was. They needed to get invited to more parties. This was amazing!

Stepping out of the kitchen, Mac spotted Duke walking out of one of the other rooms. "Heather!" she called, waving her hand in the air. Duke took notice and made her way over.

"Hey, Heather," Duke greeted her. "You looked like you were having a ton of fun on the dance floor."

"Yeah!" Mac laughed. "Tiffany and I were on _fire._ "

Duke smirked at her before looking around. "Where's Heather? Did she go on the dance floor, too?"

"No, I don't think so," Mac said, also glancing around. "I haven't seen her once since Tiffany dragged me to the dance floor."

Duke's smile fell. She did a quick once over of the building. Usually, it was easy to spot Heather in a crowd because of her hair and all that red. With the lights being dimmed and so many people crowding the house, it was hard to catch sight of their best friend. She was nowhere in sight. Duke began to panic.

"Shit, we lost her!" she growled, staring around. "I knew I should've left the games! What if somebody found her!"

"Wait, it'll be okay," Mac told her. "Sarah helped us train for this. We just gotta find her scent."

Duke took a deep breath and nodded. They began sniffing around, trying to catch a hint of Heather's scent amidst the sweat and alcohol. Walking around for a moment, Mac perked up. "I got something," she called to Duke. "She's mixing with two other scents, but it's definitely her."

Duke inhaled deeply and caught the cocoa butter and rose scent. It was thicker than usual. Neither paid attention to that. "Come on," Duke murmured, following the trail. "It leads upstairs."

"If they took advantage of her..." Mac growled softly, eyes narrowing as she followed Duke.

They walked along the hall, sniffing experimentally at the rooms. Duke waved to Mac when she found the right one. Heather's scent was leaking from it. Trying the knob, Duke cursed. "It's locked!" she snarled. 

Mac darted back down the stairs and looked through the partygoers. Spotting someone slumped against the wall, she raced over and swiped one of the bobby pins from their hair. She returned to Duke and began picking the lock. 

"Hold on, Heather," Mac whispered. "We're coming."

The lock clicked and Duke wasted no time hurrying into the room. She surveyed everything. Two shirtless boys stared at her in surprise, one with Heather on his lap. Heather was snuggled under his chin, blinking in Duke's direction. 

"Heather?" Heather mumbled.

Duke glared at the two boys. "Heather, shut the door and lock it again." Mac did as instructed and stepped up beside her. 

"Heather," Heather groaned, leaning up from her position to reach for her friends. 

Mac reached forward while Duke kept a death glare on the boys. "We're here, Heather," Mac cooed to her. 

"It's so hot," Heather told her, blinking sleepily. "He feels good."

Mac narrowed her eyes at the boys. "What did you do to her?" she demanded. 

"Nothin'!" Kurt exclaimed, holding his hands up to show peace. Heather whimpered and burrowed closer to him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms back around her, keeping his eyes on the two very angry girls in front of him.

"We only brought her here," Ram stuttered. "We only touched where she told us to. Nowhere else! Swear!"

Mac glanced at Duke and the two of them bit their lips. They couldn't leave the room, not while Heather was still in heat and so many people were downstairs. They'd have to stay here. "She'll be more stable in the morning," Duke muttered. "We've gotta stay in here until then."

Kurt and Ram perked up at that. "Jackpot, dude," Ram whisper-cheered. "Three smokin ladies all night!"

Duke's glare returned. "Heather is going to decide your fates come morning. You better hope she's in a better mood by then."

The boys shrank under her gaze. Mac sighed and climbed onto the bed, leaning on Ram's free side. Duke did the same on Kurt's other side. Heather curled between the two boys and they all sat back.

"So what have you been doing if not groping Heather?" Duke muttered.

"Uh, she, um, she told us to talk about stuff to distract'er," Kurt explained. "We've been talkin' about a buncha different stuff."

"Well, keep going," Duke sighed. "It helps keep her mind off the heat."

"Kay then."

And the night continued like that. Ram and Kurt kept rubbing Heather's arms and nuzzling her neck as they spoke. Occasionally, when there was a lull in the boys talking, Mac or Duke would speak up to keep the sound going. It was past two in the morning by the time they all sank into sleep.

~~~

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the cuddle pile on the bed. Some time in the night, Duke and Mac had traded places with Kurt and Ram, holding Heather close and keeping the guys on the outskirts of the group.

Heather was the first to stir, blinking in the light. She felt a bit better than last night. She needed suppressants and blockers asap, but first, she had to deal with this little wrench thrown in her plan.

Pushing herself up, she jostled her friends. They yawned as they slowly woke up. Stretching caused them to wake up the boys as well. Everyone took a bit of time to stretch and shake themselves out. No one said anything for a few minutes.

Heather turned to the other four and eyed them all. Ram and Kurt looked up at her, at a loss of what to do. Duke and Mac simply waited for instructions. She could make this work.

"Sit," Heather ordered the boys, pointing to a wall. In confusion, the boys did as told. 

"They know too much," Duke pointed out. "We shouldn't let them off too lightly-."

"Shut up, Heather," Heather mumbled, rubbing her head. "I'm going to have to be careful from now on. My head is killing me."

"I'll make you a hangover cure once we're done with these guys," Mac told her gently. Heather gave her a small smile before turning back to her prey.

"Okay, boys," Heather said, cracking her knuckles. "What's it gonna take for me to keep you quiet? Apart from tearing off your family jewels."

"Family jewels?" Ram muttered in confusion. 

"Heather."

Duke stepped forward and pressed her foot right between Ram's legs. She wasn't adding enough pressure to hurt. Yet. Ram squeaked, not even daring to move.

_"Make yourself big. Intimidate them."_ Her father's voice rang through Heather's mind. "I'm in a lot of pain," she growled. "So I'll make this simple. You two won't spill a word of what you witnessed here. And in return, I'll avoid you next party so you can score with someone else."

"Hey, no fair!" Kurt spoke up. "We took care of you last night. Least you can do is help us get those Varsity pricks off our backs about being virgins!"

"Heather."

Mac pressed her foot between Kurt's legs, waiting for Heather to give her the go ahead. Heather stared between the two boys speculatively. If she could twist this in her favor, she could have even more protection from the prying about her status. 

"Kelly, what's your status?" she asked.

"A-alpha." Kurt was a tense wire as he kept his eyes on Mac's disconcertingly cheerful smile.

"Sweeney?"

"I'm a beta," Ram hurried to answer. He and Duke were having a very intense stare down.

Heather nodded. "New deal, then. You two become part of our pack, and I spread the rumor that Heather and I helped you lose your virginity."

Mac stiffened at that, but the boys brightened. "Wait, seriously?" Ram gasped. Was this chick for real?

" _In return,_ " Heather said sternly. "You two scent me as often as you can whenever you're nearby and you tell _no one_ about my status. If you do, Heather gets to take a sledgehammer to your heads." Duke grinned maliciously down at them. "And keep your friends from getting grabby with Heather when she's at cheerleading practice." Mac relaxed at that. "Deal?"

"Deal!" both boys shouted excitedly. Yes! This'll show those stupid varsity guys. Even if they didn't get the real thing, it was still better than nothing. 

Heather snapped her fingers and her friends retreated to her sides. "We totally owe you, Heather," Kurt breathed as Mac stepped off him.

"Yeah," Ram agreed, scrambling to his feet. "You're the best!"

The trio smirked at them and Duke and Mac glanced to Heather. "We'll have to come up with a convincing story to help spread the rumor," Duke murmured. 

"We can figure it out at my place." Heather plopped on the bed. "I'm still... so damn hot."

"We should scent you before we leave," Mac said. "Don't want any other stragglers to catch a whiff."

Heather looked over to the boys. "Well, you heard her," she muttered, waving them over. "It'll take all four of you to get the job done."

The boys eagerly joined Duke and Mac in rubbing their scents on Heather's neck and shoulders. Once she was cleared, Heather grabbed her phone and dialed Sarah. They had some brainstorming to do and she needed a hangover cure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest. The Freshman Year segment is going on longer than I initially intended, but I like fleshing out these relationships a little more rather than just skipping right to Senior Year and Veronica's Initiation.


	7. Worth Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group begins spreading the rumor. Heather shows everyone that she's worth something.

That Monday, Heather gave no indication that anything had changed as she strode into Westerburg High. Duke and Mac walked along beside her as usual. Mac looked a bit more nervous than usual, but having her friends with her helped ease some of her anxiety.

Students whispered like they always did when the trio passed. The three of them needed to keep an ear on the rumors today. Heather stopped at her locker and her friends separated to theirs. Phase One in progress. Right on time, Kurt appeared by her side and leaned against the locker beside hers.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her with his best grin. "Get home alright Saturday?" Of course he knew she did, but for appearance's sake, he had to ask. 

"More or less," Heather responded casually. "How are the scratches on your back?" This made several students stop to listen.

Kurt shrugged. Inside he was a nervous wreck, but he had to make this look good. Who knew what Heather would do to him if he slipped up. "That ointment your maid gave me worked wonders. You can barely tell there was anything there at all."

" _You're_ just lucky she managed to stitch up my dress or I would have your head on a platter." Kurt noticeably gulped and only _part_ of it was an act. For an omega, Heather Chandler could be scary when she wanted to be.

With a sigh, Heather pulled some of her books from her locker. "Here, carry these to class for me and we'll call it even, kay?" It wasn't her heaviest books, but just heavy enough to make people take notice. They were a walk in the park for Kurt to carry, though. 

"Yeah, of course." Kurt easily hefted the books and dutifully followed after Heather. The whispers in the hall were much more excited now. The school practically buzzed as people pieced together what must have happened between Heather Chandler and the Junior Varsity quarterback. 

A call made the pair turn. Duke and Mac strolled along toward them, Mac waving enthusiastically. Time for Phase Two. "Hey, Kurt," Mac chirped. "Have you seen Ram? I wanna make sure the bruises have healed up okay."

The crowd stiffened. _What?_

"Heather's maid gave him some of the healing ointment, right?" Kurt asked, shifting the books under one arm. "They're probably barely there now. He should be in a little later." He lowered his voice a little with a sly grin. "You thinkin' of gettin' it on again or what?"

Mac smacked his arm with a slight blush. "Not while we're at _school._ I have standards, come on!" She rubbed behind her ear. "I just wanted to thank him for not being too rough with me, that's all..."

Duke rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he has plenty of ideas how you can thank him after Friday night." Mac's cheeks only darkened and she bumped Duke's shoulder with a pout.

Behind them, the crowd went nuts with the new information. So, not only did Heather Chandler get it on with the JV quarterback, but Heather McNamara got some with the JV fullback, too? What the hell happened Friday? 

Heather listened to the whispers circulate and she smirked. Wonderful. The plan worked like a charm. The rest of the student body would blow up about what they'd heard. Ram and Kurt would no longer be teased about being virgins, and the Heathers had secured a name for themselves, even among the older students. Everything went perfectly. 

.~~~.

"Psst, Kurt!" Kurt glanced over to one of the boys nearby. Kyle looked around to make sure the teacher wasn't gonna bust them before asking, "Is it true you and Heather Chandler hooked up at that party Friday?"

Kurt grinned at him. "Dude, she's _awesome!_ Looks even better _without_ clothes."

Kyle's eyes bugged out of his head. "No fuckin' way," he breathed. "How the hell'd ya score with _her?_ She's, like... _untouchable!_ "

"I was the only one nearby when she felt like it," Kurt snickered. "Sounds pretty lame, but I'll take whatever I can get. It's not like any'a the older guys can say they got ta see'er in'er underwear."

"Red?" Kyle asked curiously.

"Black," Kurt corrected. "And frilly."

The boys around stared at him in awe. "Damn, man. Even if you were the only good choice around, that's still fuckin' _legendary._ "

Kurt gave them all his best grin, glad they'd bought it. He still couldn't believe Heather was going along with this for his sake, but he guessed it made sense. She had something to hide, too. It was mutually beneficial or whatever. Maybe she wouldn't mind making it come true at the next party, though. 

He wouldn't push his luck yet.

.~~~.

The rest of the day passed relatively normally. People whispered about what must have happened at the party, even when the Heathers, Kurt, or Ram weren't around. It spread through the school like wildfire. Duke made sure to let slip that details might be fuzzy because all involved were drunk off their asses last night, but made no move to disprove that it happened. 

Heather leaned against her locker while she waited for Mac to get out of gym. The bell was set to go off in around two minutes. Just like the two years before, Heather was skipping out on gym so that her sweat didn't give her away. Maybe at the next party, she could try getting out on the dance floor. She doubted anyone would be able to tell her scent from everyone else's with all those bodies packed together. 

The bell sounded above and students spilled out into the halls. Heather ignored them all while she leaned back. Duke should be on her way from down the hall. Mac was on the opposite side of the school so it would take her a little while. From the whispers coming through, Heather knew that Kurt and Ram were doing their job flawlessly. Good. No one seemed in the slightest bit suspicious. 

A hand slammed into the locker beside hers. Heather steeled herself not to jump and she turned a glare on the person who decided to interrupt her thoughts. It was one of the older students, probably a junior or senior. He grinned down at her in a sleazy way and Heather rolled her eyes. Straightening up, she tilted her head in the way her father taught her when looking down on someone, even when they were taller than her. 

"Are you _lost?_ " she sneered. She couldn't be afraid. She had to be big and intimidating. She had to be powerful. 

"Heard you let Kelly take ya for a ride," the boy said, trying to sound cool. "Figured I might as well try and hit that."

"As _if,_ " Heather scoffed, checking her nails. Her mother taught her that trick. Make them feel like they weren't worth her time. Make them feel insignificant. "What makes you think you can even come _close_ to me?"

"Hey, I'm the Varsity fullback," the boy snapped. "I bet I could be a way better catch than some JV losers." 

Varsity fullback? Ah, Ron. His name was Ron. But Heather wouldn't let him know she knew who he was. She needed to let him know she was above remembering his name until he proved himself worthy. She could do this. 

"You?" She eyed him up and down. "Didn't Heather kick your ass at beer pong?" Ron blushed and looked away. "If you can't beat one of my pack members at a simple game, what makes you think you're worth my time?" 

She took a step forward and he backed away. The entire hall was watching now. She couldn't mess this up. She had to make it good, to prove that she was on top, that she was _worth something._ She put her hands on her hips and glared up at Ro- no. Don't call him by name. He was the worthless low life that decided to waste her time. 

"Here's the deal," she said clearly, her tone and eyes cold as ice. " _I_ decide who is worth my attention. _I_ decide who is worth anything at all. _You_ shut up, sit still, and if I say something, I want to hear 'yes, Heather'." She narrowed her eyes just a little more and watched the fullback shudder. "Got it?"

"Y-yes, Heather." Ron couldn't believe he was getting told by a _freshman_ , but dammit, she was terrifying. He wasn't getting on her bad side, especially after she started presenting. "Sorry, Heather."

Heather's lips pulled into a triumphant grin. "Good boy. Now run along. I've got better things to be doing than disciplining the likes of you."

Ron scurried away and Heather watched him go. She turned to the hallway at large and raised an eyebrow. "Is there a _problem?_ " she demanded. Everyone hurried to go back to what they were doing, avoiding eye contact. 

Heather flipped her hair and made her way to the nearest bathroom. She slipped into an empty stall and took a few deep breaths. Okay. She had done it. She had been scary. She'd been intimidating. She was powerful.

She felt like she was about to puke her heart up. 

Breathing through her nose, Heather quickly opened the group chat. She was surprised to find some unread messages already there. 

**-Macintosh:** Curtis gave us more laps than usual! Sorry I'm late.  
 **-GreenGatsby:** Some rando just tried to put the moves on Heather!  
 **-Macintosh:** What?? Is she okay?  
 **-GreenGatsby:** Oh my god.  
 **-GreenGatsby:** _Oh my god.  
_ **-Macintosh:** ???  
 **-GreenGatsby:** Heather, that was _amazing!  
_ **-Macintosh:** WHAT WAS? DONT LEASVE MNE HAGNING LIKE THIS!!!

Heather rolled her eyes at her friends, but smiled. She decided to help Mac along. 

**-Cherrypop:** The bathroom near the science lab, Heather. Meet us there.  
 **-Macintosh:** Omw!! 

The door opened and Heather perked up. She heard Duke's voice. "Heather?"

Heather stepped from the stall and nodded to her. "Hey."

Duke took one look at her and held up a finger. She checked the rest of the stalls to be sure they were empty. When she was certain no one else was eavesdropping, she turned to Heather and opened her arms. Heather gratefully threw herself into them and buried her face in Duke's shirt. 

"Was it okay?" she whispered hoarsely. 

"You kicked _ass_ ," Duke responded, stroking her hair gently. "Deep breaths. Come on."

Heather nodded and continued focusing on her breathing. Her hands shook and she clenched them tighter in Duke's shirt. She'd been powerful. She'd been powerful and no one questioned her. She could do this. She could _do_ this.

The door flung open and Mac hurried inside. She spotted her friends and immediately locked the door behind her. "What happened?" she hissed, coming closer. 

"The varsity fullback came onto her," Duke explained. "He was trying to get what he thought Kurt got. She stood up to him, though. Verbally tore him a new asshole."

Mac leaned closer and rubbed her face into Heather's hair. "Sounds like you showed him who's boss," she chuckled softly. "Sure you didn't bust a blood vessel ripping into him?" Code again. Even though they were alone, this was still school. Someone could be listening at the door. 

"I'm fine," Heather said calmly. She didn't let go of Duke's shirt. "Didn't expect anyone to try making a move this early, though. It's only Monday." 

"Yeah, well, after that display, they might know a little better." Duke tossed her hair. "May even have a little more tact."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Heather walked over to the sink. She stared at herself for a moment. She could do this. She was worth something. She would be powerful. 

Fluffing her hair, Heather turned to her friends with a smile. "Ready?"

Mac and Duke grinned, stepping up to her sides. "Four years," Duke reminded her. "You've got this."

" _We've_ got this," Mac added, placing a comforting hand on Heather's back.

Heather nodded. Four years. They could do this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Freshman Year segment is (probably) almost done! Next chapter, we get some outside perspective on things. Is this me alluding to Veronica finally showing up? Maybe, I dunno, I haven't written the chapter yet.


	8. Another Alibi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Heathers are invited to another party, one that gives Heather a way to more believably fake her status. Also, Veronica and Martha cameo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight right now and I'm usually sleep right now. That said, once again, all mistakes are my own and if the chapter feels clunky, I will likely flesh it out properly in the morning.

The next few days were interesting. Students still whispered whenever any of the Heathers walked by and it intensified if Ram or Kurt was nearby the group. It was still hard for people to really wrap their minds around the information they'd been given. After Heather's stunt with Ron, people were even more intrigued than before, wondering why she would turn down the varsity player, but she let one of the JV players have his way with her. 

"It's Thursday," Duke grumbled. "Haven't they found anything better to talk about? Even in the yearbook and outreach clubs, they're spreading more and more rumors."

"The cheerleading squad, too," Mac added, chomping onto her sandwich. "They hear a lot of different gossip and filled me in on some of the stuff people are saying. Someone thinks that Kurt and Ram signed a deal with the devil just to sleep with us. People are so weird."

Heather listened to them carefully as she ate her lunch. So, the clubs and the sports teams were talking. They needed to keep an ear on these rumors. She glanced to Duke. Almost everything came through the yearbook club. If there was a juicy rumor, those snoops would be one of the first to pounce on it. Having Duke in that club would be useful for when they staged Heather presenting for the first time. Silver eyes swiveled around to Mac. And if the yearbook guys didn't have something, cheerleading squad usually did. They kept up with all the details coming and going through the different sports teams. Mac was in a prime position to curtail anything that seemed inflammatory. 

Heather stared hard at the table. She had one person in yearbook and one in cheerleading. With odds like that, she would know everything and anything the entirety of Westerburg was saying. With this setup in place, she could control the entire rumor mill with just a few texts to one of her packmates. And now that she had Kurt and Ram under her thumb, she could direct them as needed, too. Once they achieved varsity status, she would have the entire football team under her heel. 

This could work. A small smirk lifted the corners of her mouth. With this in place, she'd be able to spread that her status was alpha and anyone who wanted to disprove it would have to go through her. She just needed a good setup and then everything would fall into place. 

The perfect setup dropped itself right into her lap.

More specifically, an envelope was dropped casually onto their table by one of the passing football players. He shot them a grin and a wink as he walked off. All eyes were on them, but Heather didn't open the envelope immediately. She couldn't let them think she was too eager. It gave them some control over her. She couldn't have that. No, she would make the watching crowd wait for it. She casually sipped down her fruit punch, not even looking at the envelope. 

Finally, when Mac and Duke both finished their lunch, Heather reached over. She kept her face as composed as she could while she opened it. No emotion meant they would have to guess her reaction. She slid the paper out of the envelope and read over it. As she expected, it was another invite to a party, this one much more courteously delivered than last week. Perfect.

Slipping the paper back in, Heather slid the envelope over to her friends for them to look. "It seems we've been properly invited to a party tomorrow, girls," she told them nonchalantly. She added a hair flip for effect. "I guess we can go. Would be a waste of paper to ignore it."

"Oh, great!" Mac cheered, eyes quickly reading the note. "I hope the people from last time are there. I lost a dance contest and I want a rematch."

Duke smirked. "I owe some people a few rematches for kicking their asses at beer pong," she snickered. "Are we meeting up to get ready?" They both turned their gazes on Heather. 

"Naturally," she shrugged. "Can't head to the party looking a mess, now can we?"

Her friends only gave her matching grins. 

\---

"I still can't believe it."

Veronica rolled her eyes as she turned a new page in her journal. "Martha-."

"I'm serious, V," Martha cut her off. "There's no way Ram would actually... I mean... not with one of the cheerleaders!"

"Martha, you don't know that for sure." Veronica didn't even look up from her journal. "We don't even know what happens at those parties. For all we know, he could've been drunk off his ass. Didn't someone mention that?"

Martha huffed. "Then how do we know it really happened if they were drunk?"

"I'm pretty sure if you wake up naked next to someone else who's naked, it's pretty easy to figure out." 

"They could just both sleep in the nude!" Veronica raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Okay, fine. Still..."

Veronica sighed and tapped her pen against the blank page. "Martha, I know you've had a crush on Ram for a while now, but come on. He's not even worth your time. If he wants to get shitfaced at parties and bang random cheerleaders, I say leave him behind. You can do better."

Martha shook her head and glanced over to where Ram was fast asleep at a table. "There's no one better than Ram, V. He's just... the best."

Veronica made no move to correct her friend. In her humble opinion, Ram was nowhere near 'the best'. He wouldn't even go into Veronica's 'just ok' category. He was a jerk who could barely carry on a conversation. Hardly someone Veronica would even spend time around. However, she wasn't going to crush her friend's feelings by saying so aloud.

Instead, she turned her attention to the Heathers. They'd been invited to another party tomorrow night, too. It was already a miracle freshmen got invited to a single party, but for them to be invited to another one? That's unheard of at Westerburg unless they were doing some pretty sleazy things in the locker room to get in. Veronica doubted the Heathers did, though. She was pretty sure Heathers Chandler and Duke didn't even know where the gym _was._ And McNamara didn't seem the type to do those kinds of 'favors'. 

Thinking about it, Veronica guessed it probably had to do with the football team. Last week, McNamara bumped into one of the players and that's how they got invited. Then Monday, Chandler stripped down another of the players and now they were invited again. Maybe the football team just liked having the Heathers around. Probably never a dull moment with those girls strutting around like they owned the place. 

Whatever the reason, Veronica didn't really care. She'd take movie night with Martha over drunk teenagers grinding on each other any day.

.~~~.

Just like last week, the music from the party thumped so loud it could be heard outside. Someone must have brought strobe lights this time around. Blue, red, green, and yellow lights flashed through the windows. There appeared to be more people than last time here, but none of them looked like freshmen except for the JV football team again. 

This time, when they entered the party, a cheer rose in the air at their entrance. All three strode in much more confidently than the previous week. They knew what to expect and they had game plans in case something like before happened. It shouldn't, since Heather had remembered to take extra blockers and suppressants this time, but they could never be too careful. 

"Feel free to tear it up, girls," Heather laughed as the crowd parted to let them through. "Try and have some fun."

Mac tugged her arm. "Heather, let's go dance!" she pleaded. 

Heather glanced to Duke, who held up her hands. "I'm good just watching," Duke said. 

A shadow fell over them and they glanced up to find Jackson bearing down on them. "Yo little lady," he grinned. "I believe _you_ owe me a rematch. Stayed sober just for you, babe."

Duke rolled her eyes. "You two go have fun. I'm gonna go break some more egos." She gave them a wave as she followed Jackson to the game room. 

"Alright, then," Heather shrugged, letting Mac drag her onto the dance floor. 

"Feel the music in your chest," Mac instructed her. She pulled Heather close and guided her body into the movements. After a bit of coaxing, Heather started to relax and swung into the rhythm beside Mac. 

Cheers filled the air as the dancers pressed in around them. The music thumped through their bodies and everyone's scents meshed together until they were unrecognizable. Heather danced alongside Mac and some of the other cheerleaders, letting the beat guide her.

This was _amazing!_ Heather could be herself here. She could smile and laugh and she didn't have to act big or intimidating, she didn't have to cover her scent or worry about anyone finding out her real status. No one here cared about what she smelled like or what she did, it was just her, the crowd, and the music. Someone moved closer to her, but was shoved out of the way by someone else. It turned into a pushing match to see which of them could get close enough to dance alongside her. Heather responded to the horseplay with a laugh, not even breaking rhythm. 

Mac watched her leader lose herself in the rhythm. She hadn't seen Heather this relaxed in ages. Usually, she was tense, keeping her face in a mask and keeping everyone but her packmates at arm's length. But now, with the strobe lights flashing around her, Heather looked beautiful, she looked happy. She looked _free_. They needed to come to these more often, just for Heather to relax. 

Neither knew how long they were on the dance floor, but it was late by the time they stumbled out of the crowd and toward the kitchen for some drinks. They leaned against each other, laughing and singing along to whichever bass-breaking song was playing. Mac rubbed her face into Heather's neck, taking a deep inhale of what small bit of her scent she could get. Even while sweating, the extra scent blockers seemed to be doing their job. Heather ran her fingers through Mac's hair as they leaned against the counter. 

"That felt fantastic!" Heather gasped, reaching for two empty cups. "And you did that _all night?_ "

"All the way up to looking for you!" Mac affirmed, pouring the both of them some punch. "It's great, right?"

Heather nodded, taking her cup and gulping down the punch. She blinked and shook her head. " _Wow_. I just can't believe they do this every week or every other week."

"We gotta get invited more often," Mac said, leaning against her. "You look so pretty when you're dancing." Heather ducked her head with a self-satisfied smile. 

They watched the party rage around them and Heather felt her chest lighten, just like last week. She paused and took a few deep breaths. Was she having another temporary heat? No, she couldn't have been. She had taken extra suppressants. Still, she felt... good. Great, even. This was even better than last week.

"Come on!" she urged, tugging Mac's arm. "Let's get back to the dance floor!"

Mac laughed and followed along, downing the rest of her drink and tossing the cup toward a chair. Heather rarely got this excited, so Mac wouldn't stop her from having fun. Besides, she wanted to show the rest of the dance floor who was the best. 

In the game room, Duke was absolutely sweeping the floor with everyone. Only having had two or three beers out of the four games she's played, she was reigning champ. One after another, competitors stepped up to challenge her and she easily crushed them. Damn, it felt good to win!

"Hey, you're doin' great!" one of the football players chuckled. Max? Matt? Whatever his name was, he stumbled slightly as he walked closer. "You're good at this, little freshie. Wanna wager some cash on the next game?"

"I've been willing to wager cash this whole time," Duke sneered, tossing her ball nonchalantly. "You're all cowards."

Instead of getting angry, there was uproarious laughter from all around. "You heard the lady!" _Morton,_ that was his name, shouted to the room at large. "Wallets out, people! Let's make this shit more interesting!"

The smirk on Duke's face grew downright sinister. Oh, this was going to be good. 

Heather took deep breaths as she once again stepped from the dance floor. This time, she was alone, as Mac was in the middle of a pretty intense dance off. Heather stumbled toward the kitchen, but before she could make it, something caught her eye. She paused and blinked. Was that Kurt? _And Ram?_ Her eyebrows furrowed. How drunk were they? 

Heather watched Kurt tug Ram up the stairs and she wondered if she was dreaming. Just a week ago, they were trying to get under her dress and now they were pressing each other against the wall? She shook her head. None of her business, really. If they wanted to suck face with each other, who would stop'em? Grabbing another cup of punch, Heather made her way out to the patio. Most of the people out here were passed out already, or so far stoned that they didn't pay her any mind as she stepped toward a more secluded area. 

She never thought anything could feel this good. Usually, she was either cooped up in the house with Sarah, or she was in school. She rarely got to do anything like this, even when her parents were home. It's not like they actually cared to take her places, even less now that her status had been revealed. It's like they were ashamed of her or something. Heather snorted, but shook herself out of that train of thought. She was at a party. Who cared what her parents thought of her status when people were clambering over themselves just to be near her?

Downing her cup, Heather headed back inside to grab some more. She was just finishing another cup when a body slammed into her. She turned with a growl and found Duke leaning against her with a wide grin. 

"Hey, babe!" Duke laughed. Heather could smell the beer on her breath. "Guess who just made a fuckin' _killin'_ playin' beer pong!"

"You totally wiped the floor with'em, huh?" Heather chuckled. Damn, Duke looked _gorgeous_ in the strobe lights. Her hair fell messily around her face and her half-lidded eyes stared up at Heather in glee. Big black pits that invited Heather in deeper, the lights bouncing around them playfully.

"Damn right I did!" Duke cheered. She wrapped an arm around Heather's shoulders and leaned her face into her neck. "How's about we celebrate? Let's find somewhere to have our own private party, what d'ya say? Just you and me and the music, baby!"

Heather laughed, feeling Duke nuzzle and lick her neck. "You're gonna pass out drunk before we even make it up the stairs!"

"Nu uh!" Duke stuck her tongue out at her. "Cause I got your gorgeous ass to look forward to, right?" To emphasize, she nipped Heather's neck. 

Heather highly doubted that train of thought would get her very far, but she decided to humor Duke for the time being. Must've been the alcohol talking, but fuck that dark green dress was really hot as hell anyway. Tugging Duke along, Heather helped her up the stairs. Stumbling into the first open room, they found Ram and Kurt watching them groggily from under a blanket. 

"Sup, hotties," Kurt mumbled, lifting one arm from around Ram to wave at them. 

Heather grinned at them, but felt Duke's weight falling into her more. Yup, she was gonna be out cold soon. "Oh, don't mind us," Heather told the boys cheerfully, dragging her dozing packmate into the room and shutting the door. "You two have a good time?"

"Rammy's gonna be a little sore in the morning, but it's no big," Kurt chuckled. Ram only nuzzled closer to his chest. "Still, we finally got some. Ain't virgins anymore."

"Congratulations," Heather yawned, settling on the floor near the window.

"Ya know, if either of ya need ta get ridda your V-card, we'd be happy to lend a hand," Ram smirked at her. 

Heather shrugged, leaning against the wall with Duke's head on her chest. "Maybe next party?" she asked with a sly smile. "But... considering the two of you have decided to join the big kids, I'm gonna need a different favor for the coming week." She relaxed back and murmured, "But that can wait until the morning." She gave a soft chuckle. "Or whenever we're all more sober."

"Can't argue wi' that," Kurt said. "It'll be twice we get to sleep with you babes nearby."

Heather only gave him a smile as she took out her phone to text Mac their location. Couldn't have her getting worried, after all. She stroked her fingers through Duke's hair and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be the start of a new rumor. One that would ensure no one questioned her status. But tonight? Tonight, she got to lay with one of her best friends in her arms and her new packmates nearby. The peaceful atmosphere, the feeling of being accepted for being herself, was rare for her. She'd take what she could get. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm like 99% sure the Freshman Year segment is finished now. We'll have to see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow morning. It's midnight right now and I'm tired.


	9. Outside Looking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica, Martha, and Betty ruminate on the rumors going around. Mr. Chandler pays a visit home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I wasn't COMPLETELY finished with the Freshman Year segment. Damn.

"Did you hear? Apparently Heather Chandler went into her first rut Friday night!"

"Seriously? I'm surprised she can come into school today like it's nothing!"

"I heard she and the JV quarterback double-teamed the JV fullback that night."

"No wonder Ram's limpin' like that. Takin' two alphas will do that to ya."

"I can't believe _he_ even made it in today. And he's his usual jerkwad self, too!"

"That whole pack's fuckin' _wild,_ man. Didja hear that Heather D. cleaned a whole buncha wallets that night?"

"Yeah, and Heather M. kicked everyone's ass in some kinda dance off the whole night!"

"I'd hate to get on that pack's bad side. They're a buncha fuckin monsters, man."

Veronica rolled her eyes as she listened to the whispers circulate the halls. Seriously? The Heathers and their pack were the topic of discussion _again?_ Weren't people bored of talking about the same five people? Yeah, sure. It was kinda weird that they had established a pack so early, and they'd already made a name for themselves being invited to two parties, but come on! 

Glancing to the side, she found Martha looking a little upset and she reached over. "Hey, Martha, you good?"

Martha shrugged and leaned her head on Veronica's shoulder. "I just can't believe it," she muttered. "First he's losing his virginity to cheerleaders and now he's letting alphas use him like that? What if they're blackmailing him into it?"

Veronica doubted that this had anything to do with blackmail and everything to do with Ram just really wanting to get laid. She needed to phrase this carefully though. She didn't want to hurt Martha's feelings any further. "Martha, maybe it's not blackmail. The rumors said that Heather C. went into her first rut that night, right? Do you remember me during my first rut?"

"Yeah," Martha sighed. "You were all sweaty and your teeth and nails got super sharp."

"And I was a desperate mess, right?" Veronica pressed, to which Martha nodded. "I don't think they blackmailed him. Maybe he was just being nice and helping her through her first rut." Veronica couldn't believe she'd just used the word 'nice' in reference to Ram Sweeney of all people, but whatever made Martha feel better. "And you know he and Kurt are super close, so maybe he didn't mind his best friend knotting him, ya know?"

Martha thought this over for a moment and she slowly nodded. "You're right," she sighed. "Ram wouldn't fall to blackmail. He's more noble than that. Thanks, V." 

"No problem," Veronica responded, stifling a snort at the notion that Ram was noble in any capacity. "Come on, let's head to lunch."

The two of them headed toward the cafeteria, keeping an ear on the rumors. Heather Duke won several games of beer pong and most of the party went home broke. Heather McNamara was the last one standing on the dance floor after an intense dance off. A few people mentioned that they had noticed Heather Chandler smelled a little stronger than usual that night, so it made sense she was presenting for the first time. Most of the talk circulated around how strong or crazy or wild their pack was even though they were all still pretty young. 

Handing Martha a tray, Veronica took one for herself and mused on the rumors. The Heathers were gaining a pretty solid reputation at Westerburg already and school hadn't even been in session for three months. It's not surprising. The three had been the talk of middle school, too. They were good at pretty much everything. Classes, athletics, style... It's not surprising this would be the same way. 

Someone's tray was knocked out of their hands behind them, but Veronica ignored it. Half the JV team had been doing that since third or fourth grade. You just learned to live with it eventually. Veronica had taken to holding her tray tighter and that seemed to dissuade most of the jerks from targeting her. 

As she made her way through the line, Veronica glanced over to the Heathers' table. Just like usual, all three had brought their lunch from home. They seemed to be talking about something. Or, well, Heather M. was talking about something and the other two were listening. Heather C. looked as immaculate and untouchable as always, not a single sign that she'd recently experienced her first rut. Veronica couldn't help being a little jealous of that. She'd been a mess after hers. Why did the Heathers get to be perfect in everything they did?

Grabbing whatever slop the cafeteria was trying to poison them with today, Veronica led Martha over to their table. Betty was already there, poking at said slop warily. She glanced up at them with a smile. 

"Hey," she greeted them as they sat down. "Heard the rumors?"

"Yeah," Veronica replied. "Most of them, at least. Some of them are getting crazy. Signing contracts with demons just to bang Heather Chandler is going a bit far."

"I don't know," Betty murmured. "All that red, I wouldn't be surprised if Chandler was the demon the contract was signed with."

Martha gave a soft laugh. "Come on. She may be a bit snobby, but Chandler isn't that bad."

Betty and Veronica shared a glance. They'd all been changing since they started high school. Who knew what might be happening with the Heathers at this point. Still, Martha was their ray of sunshine. They didn't want to crush her spirit. If she wanted to believe the Heathers pack wasn't so bad--despite the fact that its leader had one of the varsity football players cowering before her--they would let her believe it. 

Lunch progressed with the same mundane apathy as usual. Some other rumors circulated the area, but most of them were joking, similar to the demon contract one. Aliens, mad scientists, some kind of souped up viagra? People were so damn weird. 

"So, movie night again this week?" Martha asked them hopefully.

"You know it," Veronica chuckled. "I'll be stopping by the store for some snacks before I come over. Anybody want anything specific?" She knew their preferences, of course, but she always asked, just in case they wanted to change it up a little. 

Betty shrugged. "I'm down with a 2 Liter of sprite and the jumbo bag of gummy worms."

"Ooh! Don't forget the tootsie pops," Martha added excited. 

"Check and check. Duly noted on both fronts." Veronica gulped down the last of her milk. "Oh, right, Betty. You're supposed to go into rut around next week, right?"

"Yeah." Betty's cheeks flushed slightly. "If it's okay, do you guys mind staying with me?"

"Of course!" Martha told her. "We'll be there to take care of you. I'll get the jug of tea ready and I have some games we can play to help you keep your mind off it."

Betty shot her a grateful smile. "You rock, Martha."

Veronica grinned at her two friends before casting a sidelong glance to the Heathers' table. They seemed to be finished with their lunch and looking around the cafeteria. What were they laughing at? Veronica searched for anything that might be funny, but everyone was doing just as they usually were. That pack was strange. 

Shaking her head, Veronica put the Heathers out of her mind. It was none of her business what the Stoplight Trio did. She had a movie night to look forward to later in the week and nothing could be better than spending time with her own pack. 

.~~~.

Heather sighed as Mrs. McNamara dropped her off at home. She waved to Mac and stepped into her house. The first thing she noticed was that her father's scent was stronger than usual. Was he home? She didn't think he had any breaks around this time of year. Best not make too much noise or he'd probably reprimand her for being too loud or some shit. 

Walking along the second floor, she passed by his study. The door was open a crack, but she ignored it. Until, that is, she heard Sarah's voice from inside. Pausing, Heather crept back over to the door and listened curiously. 

"...studies are going well," Sarah was saying. "There's been no report of any failing grades or even an indication that they've dropped."

"Good," her father huffed. "And I trust her... _issue_ has been kept under wraps?"

Heather's lip curled. Why did he have to make her status sound like a disease? She wasn't a virus! 

"No one outside of Miss Heather's packmates know of her status, Lord Chandler," Sarah's voice sounded neutral, but Heather could tell she didn't like it either. Sarah was always on her side when it came to her status. "Very recently, she's managed to convince the students of Westerburg High School that she's an alpha, so there should be no questions about her status going forward."

"I'm glad." He certainly didn't _sound_ glad. "The last thing I need is the family name being tarnished before she's managed to make a big enough name for herself. An _omega_ Chandler. It's disgusting to think about. I almost wish she was a beta at this point. What will my associates say when she graduates? Honestly."

Heather's shoulders slumped. _"It's disgusting to think about."_ She shuffled up the stairs. Great. That's just great. It's fine, actually. It's perfectly fine. It's not like she expected him to be _happy_ about it, but to hear it from his own mouth how he really felt... It was fine.

Dropping her backpack beside her bed, Heather shut her door, loud enough that they would know she was home, but not so hard that her dad would be upset about it. It would just give him an excuse to lecture her about proper alpha etiquette or some other shit she didn't care about. 

Laying back on her bed, Heather stared up at her ceiling and began reciting the names of every alpha in the Chandler line. _Vincent, Angora, Solaris, Clarence, Christian, Matthew, Eleanora, Adonis, Clementine..._ All of them carried the legacy of the family name on their shoulders. All of them had been alphas, proud to bear the name. All of them would probably look down their noses at her for not living up to the expectations laid down by generations. 

But it was fine. 

She didn't need the approval of a bunch of dead people anyway. She had Mac and Duke, Kurt, and Ram. And she had Sarah. Nobody else mattered so long as she had her pack. _"It's disgusting to think about."_ It's not like he thought about her all that much anyway. What did he know? 

A knock at her door made Heather sit up. She smiled when Sarah's head peeked in. Sarah sighed and shut the door behind her, making her way to the bed. "I'm afraid there are no platitudes I can offer," she said quietly. 

"It doesn't matter," Heather shrugged. "It's not like he cared before. It's stupid to think he'd care now."

"Heather, don't bottle this up," Sarah told her sternly. "It's not healthy for anyone to bottle their emotions."

"But Dad says alphas don't need to express their emotions," Heather pointed out. "It makes them weak if people can tell what they're thinking. It gives people a way to control them."

Sarah took a deep breath. She forced down the urge to take a croquet mallet to Mr. Chandler's skull and instead focused on Heather. "Well, regardless of what your father thinks is and is not appropriate behavior, you're still young and you're _not_ an alpha." Heather's shoulders drooped and Sarah brought her into a hug. "And guess what? That's _okay._ You shouldn't need to push yourself to be more than you are."

Heather knew she was right, but it still stung to know her own father looked down on her. It's not like she _asked_ to be a damn omega. If anything, she was willing to blame him for wanting an alpha so damn bad. She'd show him. She'd show everybody. Even if she was an omega, she'd show them that she was still worth something. 

Sarah held Heather close and let her breaths calm Heather. Personally, she hated Mr. Chandler with every fiber of her being, but she also loved Heather and just wanted the best for her. If that meant putting up with the man's boorish behavior, she'd do what was necessary. 

"Come on," Sarah said after a while. "You should start on your homework. I'll go get started on dinner while you do, alright. Then we can watch whichever movie you want to see." 

Heather perked up a little at that. "We can watch Raiders of the Lost Ark?" she asked hopefully. 

"Yes, we can watch Raiders of the Lost Ark." Sarah patted her head and stood. "But you have to do your homework first."

Heather wiped her eyes and leaned down to her backpack. Sarah watched her with a small smile. How anyone could look at Heather and think the word 'disgusting' was beyond her. Mr. Chandler needed someone to slam a bat into his head a few times. Clearly, the man was going senile. Alpha, omega, who cared. What Sarah knew for certain? Heather was Heather. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I wanted Heather to suggest a different movie to watch, but I'm a fucking coward, so she chose Raiders of the Lost Ark. 
> 
> Next chapter, we skip to Sophomore Year and shit gets fuckin' real. 
> 
> Also, I haven't mentioned it yet, but, like, holy crap. Thank you to everyone who's left kudos, bookmarked, and commented on this. I'm actually really glad I decided to post it now. Thanks so much for the support!


	10. How (not) to parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt, Ram, Mac, and Duke have a relaxed double date. Mr. Chandler proves himself an even bigger asshat. Sarah proves she's the best ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I contemplated posting the next chapter first, but I felt like we needed something in between that one and the previous one, so here we are. I stayed up all night thinking about this on the 11th, so I'm super excited to post it!

"And then, my boy Kurt, you know what he does?"

"I don't particularly care."

"He absolutely slams this dude's skull. Like, knocked out cold. Best date ever, I'm tellin' ya."

"Ram, I just wanted to know the name of the restaurant."

"Oh, I dunno. Some kinda water theme, though."

Duke pressed a hand to her forehead in irritation. Why is it that the football guys were only ever good for playing football, throwing parties, and having sex? She should've just asked Kurt. Son of a-.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and Duke instantly relaxed at the smell of vanilla and cinnamon. "Hey, babe, you're too tense," Mac told her gently. "Relax your shoulders, honey. You're so much more beautiful without all that stress." She pressed kisses to Duke's neck.

"I just don't like having my time wasted," Duke mumbled, but she did relax in Mac's grip. Mac always knew just how to treat her to make her feel better. Mac hummed, not stopping her trail of kisses from one side of Duke's neck to the other. 

"Yo, hotties," Kurt called, strolling up and throwing an arm around Ram's shoulders. "Lookin' good, as usual. Where's her royal highness? Don't think I've seen you two alone in a while."

"Heather had some training with her father," Mac responded. The ice cream parlor they were in was empty apart from the employees getting high in the staff room, so there was no risk of being overheard. "Keeping up appearances and all that. Gave Mintleaf and me some free time."

Kurt nodded, nuzzling his face into Ram's neck. "Nice, nice. Damn though. She gotta go through more school? Summer just started."

"You try and tell Mr. Chandler that she's supposed to be on break," Mac shrugged. "Let's see if you come back with all your limbs."

"I'm pretty sure Heather would be the one to break a few of them," Duke snorted. "She hates anything that makes her look weak in front of her dad."

"Harsh," Ram muttered. "Glad my old man doesn't pry into my shit like that. I'd probably tackle'im off a bridge."

Kurt huffed. "Aw, but Ram, then you'd go over the bridge too. I'd be sad, man. Super sad."

"Shit, you right," Ram amended. "I'd just have you throw the ball so hard it knocks him over the edge instead."

"That's a plan I could get behind." Kurt gave a soft chuckle.

"Are you two finished casually plotting murder?" Duke asked, though most of the edge was gone from her voice. 

"As if you haven't done the same!" Kurt laughed. 

Duke and Mac shared a sly glance. They certainly weren't going to confirm it, but there had been plenty of nights they'd thought of taking their croquet mallets to Heather's dad's skull in the middle of the night. Honestly, they were lucky Sarah was there with her or they really might have done it by now. With the maids only coming by in the early morning hours once Heather was at school or asleep, Sarah was the only person in the house that Heather got to see regularly. 

"Either way," Duke said, leaning back into Mac's embrace and nuzzling her cheek into her packmate's blonde curls. "Kurt, what was the restaurant you took Ram to?"

"Grotto's." Kurt responded. "It's this awesome pizza place on the east coast. Could only be there for a week, but it was the best damn week. Have you ever seen a beach? It's fuckin' amazin'. Why the hell don't we have beaches?"

"We live in the middle of the country," Duke and Mac deadpanned. "In the most boring town to ever be settled. In the most boring state to ever exist." Mac paused before adding, "Apart from, like, Montana and Utah, I guess."

"Valid," Kurt nodded. 

They drifted into companionable silence for a while. Duke and Mac traded cheek nuzzles as Duke ate her mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was mostly to get their minds off their pack leader. It felt strange not being around her after spending the whole of freshman year with the three of them attached at the hip. 

Still, Heather wouldn't want them to worry, so they tried to steer their minds toward other things. "Still can't believe we're gonna be sophomores," Ram muttered. "Varsity, dude."

"Yup," Kurt responded. "Gonna be one of the guys in charge. Can't wait to push around some freshies and own the fuckin' field."

"Fuck yeah," Ram agreed, leaning his head back on Kurt's shoulder. "Gonna tear up the field and show everybody Rottweilers are the best, right?"

"Damn right," Kurt agreed, leaning down to nuzzle his cheek. He looked over at their silent packmates. "Yo, Sunshine, you gonna be on the team again?"

Mac shot him a grin. "Of course I am. Tiffany graduated, so somebody with experience has to get those girls in gear. It'll probably be Samantha, but come junior year, the title of Head Cheerleader will belong to yours truly."

"That's what I'm talkin' bout," Ram laughed. "We got one helluva pack right here. The beautiful cheerleader, the brawny footballers, and our green brainiac." He sent a smirk at Duke. She rolled her eyes, but returned it. "And of course, leadin' us all to victory, our fireball leader herself." 

"Beauty, brains, and brawn combined am I right?" Kurt laughed. "Damn, but I'd love to knot that fine ass."

"As if she'll let you be her first," Mac scoffed playfully. "I'm totally gonna be the one to knot her first. Mintleaf and I'll double team'er next heat cycle. Isn't that right, babe?"

"Only if she lets us," Duke snorted, taking another bite of her ice cream. "She's really stubborn about it, but who knows."

Kurt was about to respond, but Ram's phone vibrating cut him off. He glanced to his boyfriend expectantly and Ram groaned. "Looks like we ain't gettin' much of a break either, Kurt," he muttered. "Coach wants to go over some play strategies with the people returning to the team. Gotta hoof it we wanna be there on time."

Kurt sighed but stood. "Fine, yeah. He owes us, though. Gotta bail out on a hot date with two beauties." He shot the girls a grin as he backed toward the door. "See you babes later. Tell her majesty hey for us."

As they disappeared, Mac sank against Duke with a sigh. "How are your parents?" Duke asked gently. 

"Mom's still pissed Dad's hardly around," Mac shrugged. "She's trying to make him jealous by partying with some of his rich associates."

"You want me to come over to keep you company tonight?" Duke reached up to run her fingers through Mac's hair soothingly. 

"Your mom gonna be okay with that?" Mac looked up at her. "She was getting pretty antsy near the end of last year."

Duke shrugged. "She'll get over it. You're more important than her agitation any day."

Mac smiled up at her. "Then yeah, I'd love for you to come over tonight."

"Hell, I'll stay the whole summer if you asked me to," Duke whispered, leaning down to kiss Mac's neck, right under her scent glands. Mac shivered, but didn't move away. 

"It'll be nice having all three of us so close together for the summer," she murmured. "Come on. Better go grab your stuff. Don't need your mom catching us."

"We'll be like thieves in the night," Duke laughed, hopping up. She tossed her half melted ice cream in the trash and headed for the door with Mac. 

.~~~.

Heather _wished_ she was having that much fun. She panted heavily as sweat poured down her forehead. Fucking hell, why did he have to come back right when summer break fucking started? She was just not allowed to have a fucking break with him.

"Louder, Heather!" her father snapped. "You are an alpha. Your howl needs to reflect that!"

_I'm not an alpha!_ Heather wanted to scream. She wanted to cry, but she knew doing so would only make him angrier. If he got angry, he might start sparring lessons. She didn't have enough concealer to cover up bruises. 

Instead, she took another deep breath. Her throat felt raw and begged for water, but she wasn't allowed water until she could reach an alpha's howl. Body shaking as she tried again, Heather lifted her head and released a loud howl. Her lungs ached and she felt like she would collapse. God this hurt so fucking much. They'd been at this all day and the results ended up the same every fucking time!

"It's not big enough!" her father growled. "How are you supposed to signal to your packmates if you can't even _howl_ properly? Again!"

Heather's legs gave out and she sank to the floor, wheezing. She had to... She had to howl. Fuck, but her chest hurt. It hurt so bad. She just wanted some water. She just needed a goddamn drink.

Not for the first time, she found herself cursing her father. If the family legacy wasn't so fucking important, she wouldn't be going through this at all. And fuck her mother, too, fucking coward. As soon as her father had brought up howling lessons, the bitch had fucking bailed for some 'last minute meeting'. She'd been MIA for hours. Fuck both of them right to hell. 

"Get _up,_ Heather!" her father snarled. 

_I can't breathe!_ Heather's shouts only echoed in her mind. Spots clouded her vision. Maybe if she passed out, he'd finally let her rest. Or he'd just kick her back awake.

"That's enough."

Like a fucking godsend, a tight voice interrupted the session, followed quickly by footsteps. Heather felt strong hands pulling her up and something cool pressed into her lips. Water. Oh thank fuck. She greedily swallowed the first mouthful and took another. 

"Not too fast," Sarah cooed to her. "You'll make yourself sick."

Heather tried to slow down. She took a deep breath before taking another, slower drink. The spots gradually faded from her vision and she found Sarah smiling down at her. Even though she was smiling, it was obvious that Sarah was worried about her. The only one in this house who actually bothered to be. 

Mr. Chandler watched the beta give Heather a drink and his eyes narrowed. How was he supposed to make her understand that she needed to stand on her own if this woman kept coddling her at every opportunity?

"The lesson _wasn't_ finished," he growled lowly. 

"When would it have been?" Sarah demanded sharply. "When she passed out from dehydration? She can't howl if she can't _breathe_."

Was she _lecturing him?_ "If she did it properly, she'd have had a drink." 

"Perhaps if she were an _alpha_ , this training would be fine." Sarah was not bowing down this time. Heather could have made herself sick doing this stupid 'exercise'. "However, what seems to escape you time and again is the fact that she is _not_ an alpha. She is an _omega._ They need different training, training she hasn't gotten because she's so busy trying to imitate alphas. Since it is so difficult for you to _remember_ her status, it falls on _me_ to ensure she doesn't _kill herself._ "

Mr. Chandler's eyes narrowed to slits, but Sarah met his gaze head on. She would not compromise when it came to Heather. This dunderhead needed a reality check and she would give it to him as many times as necessary. 

After a long moment in which the only sound was Heather's labored breathing, Mr. Chandler turned for the door. "Take her to bed. I have work to attend to. We _will_ be speaking about your insubordination."

Sarah rolled her eyes and lifted Heather into her arms. "Of course, Lord Chandler." She swept from the room and up the stairs. Heather curled against her chest. From her continued wheezing, she must have been in a lot of pain. 

Once in the safety of Heather's room, Heather allowed a few tears to fall. "Hurts," she whimpered softly. 

"I know, sweetheart," Sarah murmured, setting her on the bed. "I'm going to run you a bath, alright? Focus on taking small breaths and gradually let them get deeper."

Heather nodded. She leaned forward and took slow breaths, feeling the burning in her chest gradually ease. Wiping at her eyes, Heather gave a few experimental coughs to see how her throat was doing. Still a little raw, but the water definitely helped. 

"Don't push yourself," Sarah told her sternly, walking back in. "You need to listen to your body when it tells you to rest."

"He'd just punish me for it," Heather mumbled. 

Sarah huffed and sat beside her. "It's not his body to command," she grumbled. She reached out to rub Heather's back. "The less you rest, the more likely you are to go feral."

Heather shrugged. She knew Sarah was right, but she couldn't tell what would be worse. Would it be better to go feral? Or to just let her father punish her? Was there even a difference?

"Come on," Sarah said gently. "You go grab a bath and I'll bring you something light to eat."

"Kay," Heather sighed. 

She pushed off from the bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. Once the door closed, Sarah took a few deep breaths. She reminded herself that murder was illegal as she made her way down the stairs. Focus on where she was needed, ignore that which angers her. Heather came first. Heather would always come first.

.~~~.

Duke climbed down from her window and hurried over to where Mac was waiting. "This should be the last of everything," she said, indicating the bag on her back. 

Mac hefted the other bag and grinned. "Let's go!"

The two of them stole across town, keeping to the shadows so no one would recognize them. Sherwood wasn't big, but it was big enough that it did take them a while to get to the bigger houses. They passed Chandler Manor on their way and both glanced up. They wondered how Heather's lessons were going. They couldn't hear anything from inside, so maybe she was finished for the day? They'd stop by to see her once they finished getting Duke settled in. 

Mac walked up her driveway. As expected, neither of her parents were home. There was no risk of either of them getting yelled at for being out after dark, so they just strolled right through the front door. Silence met them, but that was normal for Mac. Duke turned on the hall lights and they made their way up to Mac's room. 

"How about some soup tonight?" Mac asked as she started hanging Duke's clothes in her closet. She'd had an extra rack installed specifically for times when her friends slept over. 

"Sounds good," Duke responded, arranging her shoes by the door. "Cartoons or comedies?" 

"Comedies," Mac replied. 

Both perked up at a knock at the front door. They weren't expecting visitors. Mac grabbed both their croquet mallets from the closet and the girls made their way down the stairs. They shared a glance before Mac opened the door. 

Sarah blinked down at the two girls in the doorway and smiled. "Good to see the two of you in high spirits," she chuckled. 

"Sarah!" Mac cheered, leaping forward to hug her. Sarah patted her head affectionately. "What are you doing here?"

"Is Heather okay?" Duke asked, setting her croquet mallet off to the side. 

"I just put her in bed," Sarah reassured them. "She's had a stressful day. Poor thing was asleep before her head even hit the pillow."

Both Mac and Duke scowled at that. Heather was the awake all night type. They couldn't imagine what she had to go through to be that tired before 10pm.

"What do you need from us?" Duke looked up at Sarah. 

"I have a favor." Sarah stepped into the house and shut the door. "It's very important I talk to the pair of you immediately."

Mac guided them all to the living room. "We're all ears."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Sad Heather Hours


	11. Something I'm Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Chandler makes an executive decision. Heather loses her fucking shit for a while. Mac and Duke pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternately named "Broken Pack"

The days following her howling lessons, Heather made a point of keeping to herself. This was supposed to be her summer break, but all her father cared about was making her into a proper alpha. 

"I don't get why it's so important to him," Heather huffed, leaning on her knees. Sarah sat beside her, reading a book as she listened to Heather's worries. "I know the family line has been alphas for ages, but I'm still me! I don't have to be an alpha to be on top!"

"I know that," Sarah said patiently. "However, your father was raised believing a certain way and he is intent upon passing that belief to you. It is up to you and you alone to decide what status means to you."

Heather picked at her blanket. "It just feels like... like by the time I graduate, I won't even know what being an omega means anymore. How am I supposed to know what status means if I won't even be able to tell what my own status is?"

Sarah reached over to stroke her redgold curls. "You'll have your packmates to help you," she reminded her. "The three of you have been together through everything. They will be there to help guide you when you lose your way."

Heather huffed, but pressed into Sarah's hand affectionately. "Okay. I'll take your word for it."

"Good." Sarah chuckled. "Now, you should be studying. You're going to be getting your license tomorrow, right?"

"You got that right!" Heather grinned. "I'm gonna get it first try. Just you watch!"

"That's the spirit." Sarah reached over and handed her the driver's manual. "I'll quiz you in half an hour. If you get 80% of the questions right, we'll head out for some ice cream. 90% and you can bring your friends."

Heather's eyes lit up. She loved a challenge. "100% and I decide what's for dinner."

Sarah gave her a reproachful look. "On the condition that it's real food and not junk." Heather pouted at that. "You can't eat corn nuts for dinner, Heather."

"Fine, real food." Heather was a little disappointed, but that wouldn't stop her from nailing that 100%. Sarah laughed and they went back to their reading. 

As expected, Heather nailed every question Sarah threw at her and they made their way over to the McNamara's manor to pick up Mac and Duke. Mac opened the door with a grin. In the background, they could hear Duke screaming. 

"Is she playing another game?" Heather asked, strolling in. 

"Yup!" Mac laughed. "Apparently it's one of those horde games, so she's been at it for two hours nonstop."

"I WILL CRUCIFY YOU, YOU STUPID UNDEAD ASSHOLE!" Duke shrieked from the game room. "THROW ANOTHER BOMB BOY! I DARE YOU!"

Heather held up three fingers and counted down. As soon as she got to zero, another scream sounded. "I WAS JOKING, YOU SONUVABITCH!"

Mac and Heather snickered as they heard the announcer shout, "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Duke stalked out of the game room, pout set on her lips. "Hey, Heather," Heather chuckled. "Wanna go get ice cream?"

"No. I wanna crush the Vampire King's skull." Duke leaned against the wall, arms crossed. 

Mac wrapped an arm around her waist. "Come on, Heather," she cooed cheerfully. "We can grab some ice cream and you might figure out a way to defeat the Vampire King while we're out."

Duke sighed. "Kay." She looked over to Heather. "What's the occasion anyway?"

"I passed Sarah's practice driving exam," Heather responded, flipping her hair. "I get to take you two for ice cream _and_ I decide what's for dinner."

"Corn nuts?" Mac and Duke deadpanned together. 

Heather's eyes narrowed. "No! I chose pizza!"

"Corn nuts are dessert," Sarah added with an amused grin. 

"Figures," Mac laughed. 

Heather lifted her nose. "Let's just go."

Sarah guided them down the street. It was too nice of a day for them to drive. And the parlor wasn't that far. 

"Have you figured out what car you're going to get once you have your license?" Duke asked. "I want a Camaro."

"Ooh, like Bumblebee!" Mac gasped. 

"I take it back _instantly._ " They all laughed as they walked into the shop. While Sarah ordered their cones, Heather hummed. "I think I'll get a Camaro, too. Or a mustang."

"You'd look great in a Porsche," Mac piped up. "See how fast it can go while the streets are empty!"

"It's Sherwood," Duke snorted. "When are the streets _not_ empty?" 

Mac stuck her tongue at her. "Seriously, though. Think about it. Driving down the road with the top down, wind in your hair, sun on your face, maybe passing some of those college guys from Remington?"

Heather and Duke shared a look. "You make a very convincing argument, Heather," Heather murmured as Sarah returned with their ice cream. 

Most of the rest of the day passed with the four of them talking about mundane things. From the colleges Duke was already looking at to the cartoons Mac was watching. Heather and Sarah stayed away from talking about what was happening on their side of things. For the most part, they listened, with Heather occasionally giving a teasing remark about Mac's cartoons. Sarah gave her thoughts on the colleges Duke was thinking of, too. 

Heading back to Mac's manor once they finished their ice cream, the group lounged in the game room. Mac cheered Duke on as she went back to the horde game. Heather leaned against Sarah, just watching her friends have fun. Sarah stroked Heather's hair with a small smile. It was peaceful, even with the other two shouting at the television. 

As the sun began to go down, Sarah dialed up delivery and ordered some pizza for Mac and Duke before getting some for Heather. Sarah left the tip money on the counter for Mac and headed home with Heather. Heather was quiet the walk back and Sarah sighed. 

Stopping before they went inside, Sarah turned Heather to face her. "Heather, something's been bothering you all day." Silver eyes darted to the side immediately. "What's the matter?"

"It's-." Heather bit her lip. In a quieter voice, almost a whisper, she asked, "What if I never measure up to his expectations?"

"That wouldn't be your fault," Sarah reassured her gently. "You shouldn't feel forced to be more than you're capable. Even without being an alpha, you're leading a pack. You're intelligent, charismatic, and beautiful. You could have the world. And guess what? _You're an omega._ What does that tell you about his expectations?"

"They're wrong?" It was the answer she knew was expected. But even if it was expected, Heather had some hope that it was also true.

Sarah shook her head. "He expects you to be all that you are, but he expects you to be such as an _alpha._ His expectations aren't entirely _wrong,_ but they definitely need to change. And you," she tapped Heather's nose playfully, "are in a ripe position to change them. Everything you are, you are by being you, Heather, as an omega. Nothing can change your status, but what you become is all up to you, sweetheart."

Heather knew it was mostly just platitudes, but she also knew a part of Sarah really did believe it, believed that she was capable of anything she wanted. It was nice knowing she had someone who believed in her as an omega instead of as an alpha. She wrapped her arms around Sarah's shoulders. 

"Thanks," she mumbled into Sarah's neck.

Sarah chuckled, returning the hug for a moment. She stepped back and guided Heather toward the front door. "Come on. The pizza will be here soon. And I still have to find those corn nuts."

In a noticeably better mood, Heather bounced into the house. She went right to the kitchen to get some plates and cups for when the pizza arrived. Sarah took a deep breath. The air was heavy. She hoped that was because of Heather's previous turmoil and the presence of the lord of the house. 

.~~~.

Heather bounced in place as she read through her manual one more time. Her father and Sarah watched her calmly. "I got this," Heather breathed. 

"You'll pass with flying colors," Sarah agreed. "Remember, you own all. The road is yours to command, dear."

"Mine to command." Heather took a deep breath. "Alright."

"And the car you wanted?" her father drawled in a bored tone. 

"A bright red Porsche," Heather reminded him. "It was Heather's idea." 

Her father made a noncommittal hum in the back of his throat. "Get a perfect score and it's yours, alongside your first credit card."

Heather's eyes brightened, and a smirk curled her lips. Sarah had zero doubt Heather would come back with a perfect score purely to rub it in her father's nose. She couldn't wait to see that. Mr. Chandler ignored the look altogether, heading up the stairs to his study.

"Alright, on your way," Sarah instructed, pushing Heather toward the door. "I'll be here when you get back. I'll even have some cake prepared."

"Red velvet with cherries?" Heather pleaded.

"Get that perfect score and you'll see," Sarah chuckled. 

Heather waved to her as she headed out the door. Because she couldn't do gym, Heather preferred to walk, or in this case, run everywhere during the summer to make up for the lack of activity during the school year. Those parties the girls had been invited to helped a little, but Heather enjoyed being active. 

Sarah watched her disappear down the street before getting to work on the cake. She knew Heather would get a perfect score. There was little Heather couldn't accomplish. This was just another test. 

Setting the cake in the oven to bake, Sarah headed up to her room. She paused when she found a slip of paper on her door. Her heart froze. It was a _pink_ slip of paper. With shaky hands, Sarah removed the slip and read over it. Then she looked to her watch. A growl slowly settled on her lips, but Sarah took a deep breath. She didn't have much time. 

As she headed into her room, not for the first time, she contemplated killing her now ex-employer.

.~~~.

Heather raced into the house with a beaming grin. "Sarah!" she cheered, clutching her new license in hand. "Sarah! I did it!" In her other hand, she held a copy of her test scores, both the written and the practical. Both sported large 100s etched in her instructor's loopy handwriting. 

Heather was met with silence as she made her way to the kitchen. She could smell the remnants of Sarah's baking. On the fridge, she found a note. _Congratulations on your test, sweetheart! T_ _he cake is cooling in the fridge. Don't eat any until after you've had dinner!_

Weird. Sarah usually waited for Heather to be home before she went out. Usually, it was grocery shopping or something of the like, but she was there. It was because she knew Heather hated coming home to an empty house. So... where...?

"Heather, stop that shouting," her father sighed as he descended the stairs. "The nanny left a bit ago."

"Where did she go?" Heather asked in confusion. 

"Who knows," her father shrugged. "She's no longer our concern."

Even though it was pushing blistering weather outside, Heather suddenly felt very cold. "What does that mean?"

Silver eyes met each other and Mr. Chandler said the worst three words in the world. "I fired her."

Heather blinked at him. "Dad, your humor needs work. That's a terrible joke."

"It's not a joke, Heather," her father responded calmly. "I fired her just this morning. My assumption is that she was too busy helping you get ready for your exam that she didn't notice the termination slip on her door."

A strange pressure filled Heather's head and she tried to think through it. Rage built in her chest, growing hotter with each second. This wasn't happening. This _had_ to be a joke. " _What do you mean, you fired her?"_ she snapped. " _Why would you do that?_ " 

"We had no more use for her." Mr. Chandler stared down at his daughter levelly. "She has filled her role. It was time for her to go."

Heather's ears sharpened to points, her nails lengthened into claws, and her fangs poked over her lips as she glared up at her father. "Call her back," she growled.

"I will do no such thing. She's probably on the first train out of this rinky dink state-." 

Heather launched herself across the space separating them and slashed her claws across the side of her father's face. "You're lying!" she roared, bowling them both over. She landed on his chest, glaring down at him. "You're _lying!_ "

"Check her room if you don't believe me!" Mr. Chandler's own fangs bared up at her. He didn't want to admit it, but seeing Heather like this was somewhat... not frightening, of course, but... _disconcerting._ Blood dribbled from the scratches on his cheek, but he ignored it, not wanting to take his eyes off the threat on top of him. "Check her room and verify it for yourself!"

Heather leaped off of him and raced up the stairs. She made a beeline for the third floor, for the bedroom two doors down from her own. He had to be lying. It couldn't be true. Sarah would never leave her. It was supposed to be Heather's choice when Sarah left. Sarah was supposed to see her graduate.

Slamming into Sarah's room, Heather found it completely bare. She rarely went into Sarah's room, so she wasn't sure what it looked like before, but she was pretty sure the bed should've had more than a crisp white sheet and the closet shouldn't have been empty. Heather stared around at the empty room and her eyes caught something on the bed.

With shaking hands, she lifted the pink slip off the bed and read over it, verifying for herself what it said. The time Sarah had to be out of the house. It was just under half an hour ago. _Half an hour ago._ Heather crushed the note in her hand. This wasn't fair. _It wasn't fair!_

Slitted gray eyes lightened to pale yellow and Heather lashed out. Her claws ripped into everything. The wallpaper, the bedsheet, even the pillow. Paper and fabric and feathers all fell around her, the lamp on the bedside table shattered against the opposite wall. When there was nothing left to tear or break, Heather fell to her knees.

Her chest felt heavy. Tears streamed down her cheeks as it finally settled in. Taking a deep breath, Heather threw back her head and released a howl. The window shattered, but she didn't care. Sarah was gone.

.~~~.

Mac sipped her juice while she watched Duke play another game. A soft breeze blew in through the open window. Some of the summer heat filtered in, but neither really minded too much. Duke threw her hands up in a cheer as she defeated another boss. 

"Good job, babe!" Mac laughed, cuddling into her side. "That one seemed like an easier one than the last two."

"Nah, I just figured out the system." Duke nuzzled her face into Mac's neck, peppering it with celebratory kisses. "These guys are easy once ya got the mechanics figured out."

Mac gave a soft purr and stroked Duke's hair. "Well, leave it to you to do just that, huh, smartypants."

Duke gave a chuckle, before they both stiffened. A sound was coming to them, loud and clear. Through the window, they could hear a howl coming from the direction of Chandler manor. Both flashed back to a few nights ago.

_"I'll make this brief, just in case Heather wakes again." Sarah ran a hand through her hair. "I don't think I have much time left."_

_"You're dying!?" Duke and Mac exclaimed in panic._

_"No! No, not like that." They relaxed slightly. "What I mean is, I think the old man is intending to get rid of me soon. He thinks the way I treat Heather is too gentle. When that happens, you two will be all she has left."_

_Duke and Mac glanced to each other. "What do you need us to do?" Duke asked seriously. Mac reached for her hand and squeezed for reassurance._

_"You two know Heather better than anyone else," Sarah explained. "She'll try to push herself too hard once I leave. But she'll listen to you. I'm not saying it will be particularly easy. She's very stubborn."_

_"We can handle that no problem," Mac piped up. "Heather's been our pack leader for ages, our best friend even longer. If we can help her, we will."_

_Sarah placed a hand on her head. "Thank you, Miss McNamara." She reached into the pocket of her dress and drew out a flash drive. "I recorded some of the howls she did today. I want the two of you to hang on to them, so you'll know if ever she's trying to signal you."_

_Duke grasped the flash drive. "You can count on us, Sarah," she said, black eyes determined. "We'll take care of her. We promise."_

_Sarah leaned down and swept them both into a hug. "You're both so amazing. I know all three of you will go far."_

Returning to the present, both girls jumped up. They didn't bother with shoes as they raced out the door. "Do you think he's finally done it?" Mac called back to Duke.

"I haven't heard Heather sound that upset in years," Duke panted. "It's the only explanation."

They skidded to a stop in front of Heather's house and Duke tugged Mac's shirt. She pointed up to a broken window, just down from Heather's room. Screams could be heard from it. Mac climbed up the tree near Heather's window while Duke just barged through the back door. She made it to the third floor just as Mac opened the door to Sarah's room. 

Inside, they found Heather on the bed, hands pressed over her eyes. Another scream tore from her lips, displaying her fangs for them to see. Tears streamed from under her palms. Mac and Duke shared a look. They haven't seen Heather cry like this since they were seven and she fell on the playground during kickball. 

Slowly, Mac crept into the room and climbed onto the bed. Heather removed her palms and Mac recoiled at her eyes. Heather was feral. "She's gone," Heather rasped. 

Mac couldn't find anything to say to that. Instead, she hesitantly opened her arms. Heather stared at her for a long moment and Mac wondered if she was going to attack. After a tense pause, Heather scooted closer and let Mac's arms wrap around her. She buried her face in Mac's chest and continued crying.

Duke took that as a clear to also enter and wrapped Heather in a hug from behind. Sandwiched between her two friends, Heather allowed herself to cry. Alphas don't cry. Alphas were strong. They didn't show weakness. They were in control at all times. 

Heather wasn't an alpha. And the only person in her house to accept that was gone.


	12. Life Marches On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather spent some time being feral. Time to get back to business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I feel like the BIGGEST fucking asshole right now?? Sarah wasn't even supposed to be super important to the plot, but I felt like Heather needed something. Not only a push toward bitchdom, but also a guide until she got to that point? But feckin hell, writing last chapter physically hurt, so here's the next chapter, mostly for my own sanity, but also for you guys.
> 
> I wanted to finish this sooner, but I went and got sick for a few days. Not fully healed yet, but better than I was. So, here we go.

The days following Sarah's departure, Heather refused to leave her room. Her father slid her new credit card under the door without even bothering to knock. He'd learned from the first time he tried entering. Heather had tried to claw his face off for disturbing her vigil. He also left Sarah's room alone. When he tried to have someone come in to fix the window, Heather had stood in front of the door to the room and growled at anyone who looked like they would disturb it. The message was clear. Sarah's room was to be left untouched, and Heather was not to be bothered. 

Heather only allowed her packmates into her room. Mac hugged her whenever she came by. Duke wouldn't hug her, but she would sit with her, and that felt the same way. Most often, Heather would hug Her Book while her friends sat with her. 

When she had finally come out of Sarah's room, Heather had found a book on her bed. In it were recipes to all of her favorite foods, the channel list on the TV, instructions for how to wash her clothes, and a bunch of other stuff to help her with day to day life. Sarah had catalogued everything she knew Heather enjoyed or would need to know and written it into the book. There were even pictures to help her in case she wasn't sure what the food was supposed to look like. Finding it had sent Heather spiraling into another fit of sobs. 

Kurt and Ram also came by to check in on her. During those times, they made as much obnoxious noise as they could going up the stairs. It was their way of showing support to Heather, by fucking with her old man. When they got to her room, though, they were silent. Heather crawled into Kurt's lap like the first night they met, and just like that night, Ram rubbed her back and arms to soothe her. They were always careful with her, not knowing what might cause her to attack. Her eyes hadn't returned to normal since Sarah left. Even they weren't stupid enough to upset a feral. 

A week after Sarah's termination, Mac slowly stepped into Heather's room to find her asleep. Her body curled around Her Book protectively, and her hair fell messily over her face. What worried Mac, though, was how thin Heather was underneath her clothes. Through the vigil, they'd tried getting her to eat, but Heather had refused. She agreed to drink water, but that was the extent of it. Duke had even brought corn nuts to try getting her to eat something, but to no avail. 

Sitting on the bed, Mac stroked Heather's hair. This was so messed up. Sure, it was Mr. Chandler's right to fire Sarah cause he was the one paying her salary, but it was unfair of him not to give Heather even a warning about it. Sarah didn't even have time to say goodbye. At this point, Mac was sure the man was Satan in disguise. 

A soft groan caught her ear and Mac glanced down. Heather's ears were no longer pointed. That was a good sign. Slowly, bloodshot silver eyes opened and rolled toward her. "Heather," Heather said groggily. Her voice rasped unpleasantly, but it was the first word she'd said since they'd gotten to her room, so it was progress. 

"Hey, babe," Mac cooed. "You good?"

"My head hurts," Heather mumbled, lifting up. "I hate him so much."

"Me too." Mac wouldn't mention that she'd stood outside Mr. Chandler's study with Duke a few times the past week, silently talking each other down from just outright attacking him. As Heather's alphas, it was their job to eliminate anything that caused her pain. Unfortunately, murder was illegal and Heather needed them, so the devil still breathed. For now. 

Mac watched Heather wipe her eyes and wrapped her in a one armed hug. "I'm really sorry, Heather," she whispered. 

Heather gave a shrug. "Nothin' I can do about it."

Mac didn't like hearing Heather sound so defeated. She sounded hollow. Heather should never sound hollow. She was fiery, passionate, she strutted around with the confidence of of a supermodel. Reaching down, Mac retrieved the untouched bag of corn nuts Duke had gotten and held them out to her friend. 

"You need to eat something," she insisted. "You haven't eaten in days. We're worried."

Heather stared at the corn nuts for a long moment. Slowly, she grasped the bag and opened it. She took a deep inhale as the scent of the snack filled the air. For the first time in a week, Mac watched her friend relax, if only a little. _There's nothing corn nuts can't solve._

"I just can't believe he did that," Heather muttered, grabbing a fistful of corn nuts and tossing them in her mouth. "Sarah was one of us, Heather. She was as part of the pack as me or you. She was like the grand alpha or something."

"I don't think grand alphas are a thing," Mac pointed out. "But you're right. She was one of us. It's unfair we didn't even get to say goodbye."

Heather pouted and crunched on more of her corn nuts. "What's been going on during my vigil?" she finally asked. It didn't sound like she actually cared. Still, they needed to return to some semblance of normalcy. 

"Heather took her driver's test, too," Mac explained. "She didn't get the Camaro, though. She got a Maxima instead."

"It's a good fit for her," Heather said. "She and I might even race each other, when the streets are empty."

"It's Sherwood," Mac mimicked in a perfect imitation of Duke. "When are the streets _not_ empty?"

And the best thing Mac had seen in days popped up. Heather smiled. Sure, it didn't completely reach her eyes and she only gave a snort of laughter, but it was _something._ Seeing Heather smile after days of just holding her while she cried gave Mac hope that they would be okay. 

Mac thought about what else was going on while Heather continued her snack. "Not much really happens in this town, unfortunately. But Kurt and Ram have their Varsity roles now. Kurt's the new Varsity quarterback and Ram's the linebacker." 

So, he really did it. Heather felt a small bubble of pride. Kurt had set out to be the next Varsity quarterback and he'd succeeded. Good for him. Ram made it up to Varsity status, too. He wasn't the fullback, like he wanted, but every part of a team was important. Linebacker was no different. 

"Good for them," she murmured. "They can actually do something when they really want to."

"Yeah, but they've been stuck at practice almost every day of the summer," Mac sighed dramatically. "It's just been me and Mintleaf all by our lonesome selves."

"Oh please," Heather snorted, rolling her eyes in a semblance of her usual self. "You and Spearmint probably _love_ being alone together." A smile--small but it was a start--tugged at her lips as she halfheartedly teased, "Maybe I should leave the two of you alone more often."

Mac sat up with an overexaggerated pout on her lips. "But _Heather_ ," she whined, drawing out the second syllable. "Whatever would we do with ourselves if not keep you out of trouble!"

"Me?" Heather gasped. "I think you mean what would _I_ do without you two to keep out of trouble!"

The playful banter seemed to be doing the trick. Mac could see the fire returning to her friend's eyes, that spark she loved. Heather wasn't Heather if she didn't embody the very color she adored. Mac smirked at her and she spotted it. A flash of silver, steely gray flicking over to her in that haughty way only Heather could pull off. 

"Oh yeah? Well you can hardly keep us outta trouble if you're stuck in here all the time." Mac grinned and flipped off the bed, rolling all the way to Heather's door. With a sly grin, she lifted an envelope and shook it. It was the one holding her new credit card, and her new car key. "Care to try and tame us, _Your Majesty?_ "

Heather set aside her mostly eaten bag of corn nuts and hopped off her bed. She looked down at herself and sniffed. "I need a shower and change, but after that..." Her chin lifted. She was almost herself again, even if she still looked a little sad. "After that, we'll see just how much trouble you two have gotten into without me there to stop you."

They both knew it was a farce. Most of Mac and Duke's time had been spent with Heather during her vigil. But they needed this. They needed this banter, this play. Heather needed something to feel like everything would be okay. And Mac wouldn't-- _couldn't_ \--deny her that. 

"Aye aye, m'lady!" Mac laughed, giving a two-fingered salute before setting the envelope on the bedside table and mock-bowing out of the room. She just made out another smile tugging at Heather's lips before the door shut. 

Heather took a deep breath as she stepped into her en suite. She didn't spare the mirror a single glance as she headed right to the shower and began adjusting the temperature. When she stepped under the spray, she wasn't entirely sure the liquid running down her face was solely from the showerhead, but she didn't try to stop it either. She needed to heal. That would take time. But Sarah had always told her to keep her head high, even when she wanted to curl into a ball. It would be a stain on her memory for Heather to disobey. 

The shower didn't take too long. Heather wrapped a towel around herself and stood in front of her mirror. She surveyed her appearance for a long moment. She was small. Sure, she could make her presence _feel_ big, but both Duke and Mac were taller than her. She needed to pull off a certain image, and that couldn't be done while she was the shortest of her pack. 

Making her way to her closet, Heather hummed as she scanned her outfits. "Heather," she called. 

The door opened a second later and Mac stepped in. "You rang?"

"I don't think any of this is going to cut it this coming school year," Heather said, beginning to get dressed. "I need more... flare, more... spectacle. If these are going to be my last years as an alpha, I need to shine like one. I want it to be the highlight, so that when my status comes to light, I'll have a persona to fall back on if someone wants to get rough."

"And what did you have in mind?" Mac asked, watching Heather stride over to her bedside.

With a wide grin and a flash of yellow in her gray eyes, Heather lifting the envelope in an almost tantalizing way and asked, "Let's see just how much Daddy Dearest decided to give me."

Mac's face lit up.

.~~~.

The purr of the engine as Heather started her new Porsche sent a shiver down her spine. Oh, she liked that. "Text Heather," she ordered. "We're heading to the mall."

Mac nodded and slipped her phone from her pocket. 

**-Macintosh** : hey babe! Heading to the mall! You in?  
**-GreenGatsby:** Oh sweet, I need a new pair of earrings! You need a ride?  
**-Macintosh:** nbd, I'm w Heather!  
**-GreenGatsby:** She finally finished wallowing?  
**-Cherrypop:** Look, bitch, I will wreck both our cars if you test me!  
**-Macintosh:** HEATHER EYES ON THE ROAD!  
**-Cherrypop:** As IF I'd crash with a passenger.  
**-Macintosh:** MINTLEAF TELLER TO STOP TEXTING!  
**-GreenGatsby:**[thats-none-of-my-business](https://tenor.com/view/business-kermit-sipping-tea-none-of-my-business-gif-4522987)  
**-Macintosh:** if I die, I'm never cuddling you again!  
**-GreenGatsby:** You won't die.  
**-Cherrypop:** See? Heather knows what's up.  
**-GreenGatsby:** Heather will be too busy eating my dust to kill you.

Both Mac and Heather glanced up from their phones to see a dark green Nissan Maxima speeding toward them. Duke gave them a smirk from the window and Heather's grin widened. 

"Oh, you are _so on!_ " she cheered, slamming on the gas. 

Mac clung to her seatbelt, hoping against hope that none of them, specifically her, ended up in the hospital today. Vaguely, her mind registered just how happy Heather seemed to be like this, racing through the roads without a care in the world. It was the best she'd looked since Sarah's departure and, if she weren't terrified for her life, Mac might've even marveled at seeing her best friend in such a good mood. Unfortunately, she was too busy hoping she didn't end up a red stain on a semi truck to really pay it too much mind. _Thankfully_ , none of them ended up splattered all over the pavement and they all arrived at the mall in one piece. 

Heather hopped out of the Porsche, a wide grin bordering on wild glee stretching her face. "I totally won that!" she laughed, grabbing her purse and sauntering toward the mall. 

"In your dreams!" Duke huffed. She didn't bother locking the Maxima as she followed. Mac, a little frazzled, but otherwise fine, clung to her arm to reorient herself. 

Heather scanned the mall with a soft hum. "Where to? Where to?" she murmured absently as she shifted from one foot to the other. "I'm thinking... yeah, let's do this."

She darted off, not necessarily at a run, but a very brisk walk. Her two taller companions had no trouble keeping up, though. They made their way through the labyrinth-like halls, surveying the stores around them. 

"So, what are we looking for?" Duke asked. 

"Something... different," Heather muttered. "Something bold, something commanding, something..." She paused at the sight of a dress in a store window. It was bright red with gold bodice sewn on, strapless, the skirt likely barely going to midthigh on her. "Oh, that's nice."

Duke raised an eyebrow. "We're dress shopping?"

"Not just dresses," Mac shrugged, following Heather into the store. "Shoes, shirts, skirts, pretty much everything she has in her closet, but _better._ "

"O... kay then..." 

Duke didn't understand it, but she would go along with it. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she'd missed seeing Heather like this. She watched her best friend flit through the clothes and her eyes narrowed. She could see the shadow following Heather, the slightly downward angle to her shoulders. Heather wasn't over the loss, not by a long shot, but she was trying. 

"Well, if that's the case, I guess we better help," Duke shrugged. "Might find something for ourselves while we're at it."

Mac bounced happily and grabbed her hand, guiding her into the racks of clothing as well. The rest of the day was spent trying on different outfits, mixing and matching and checking with the others. 

"I like this," Heather murmured. Currently, she was modeling a bright red blazer in the mirror by the changing rooms. "Sophisticated, prestigious, a subtle glamorous air to it..."

"I'm diggin' this outfit!" Mac chirped, stepping out in a sunny yellow skirt-jacket piece. "How do I look?"

Duke eyed her and hummed. "Looks too static," she muttered. "Maybe you need something to break into all that yellow."

"Like a tie or something?" Mac asked. 

"Maybe... just something to break into it... hold on." Duke disappeared into the racks and returned with different colored belts. "Heather, which of these do you think would work best. I'm partial to the purple one, but maybe the blue one would be better?"

Heather turned to them and eyed Mac carefully. "Show me the blue one?" Duke held it up against Mac and Heather shook her head. "Color clashing, not good. She needs something with less color. Ugh, but gray is so drab..."

"How about this one?" Duke tried, holding up a black belt.

"Perfect," Heather grinned. She turned back to the mirror and looked at herself. "I guess I'm buying every blazer in this color and this size," she muttered. "I'll need different skirts, though. Wouldn't be caught dead wearing the _exact_ same thing every day..."

"But I can, right?" Mac piped up, eyeing the rack full of the outfit she was currently trying on. 

"Yeah, sure, go wild." Heather stared hard at her reflection. She looked better. She looked poised, refined, deserving of her station. She would be on top and she needed to look the part. 

While Mac took the entire rack and bounded off to buy it, Duke watched Heather carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked carefully. "Do you need a minute or-."

"Shut up, Heather." Duke stopped, waiting. Heather took a deep breath and carefully schooled her expression. "I'll deal with it, one way or another. I can't change anything, so I need to just hold my head high and keep marching forward." She spun to face her friend. "Find anything you're interested in?"

"Oh, uh, no, nothing's really-."

"Stop." Again, Duke paused, waiting. This time, she had an air of nervousness about her. She knew she couldn't afford anything here, and she always hated asking the other two for money. "Pick out what you want, and I'll get it for you."

"Really, Heather, it's-."

"That _wasn't_ a request." Heather's eyes were steel as she stalked closer. She had to look up to Duke, but it didn't diminish the effect. "If the money is the issue, how bout this. It's me thanking you for sitting with me during vigil. As an added bonus," Heather held up her credit card with an almost evil sneer, "you'll be helping me rack up charges in Dear Daddy's name."

Duke chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Alright, deal. I kinda like the blazer idea. Mind if I grab some, too?" 

"Go nuts," Heather said, turning back to the mirror. "It's going to be a new school year, after all. We have to look our best."

Nearly finished with their endeavors, Heather had only one last place to hit. "I need some new footwear," she sighed. 

"Really?" Mac blinked at her. "Why?"

Heather turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Without saying a word, she held a hand to the top of her head before lifting it toward Mac's. She then repeated the process with Duke. "I can't really say I'm an alpha when I'm small like an omega," Heather pointed out. "I have to be bigger, and since there's no chance of another growth spurt, footwear will have to do the trick."

"Makes sense," Duke shrugged, following Heather into the shoe store. 

They tried a few different styles and heights before they found some that allowed Heather to be the same height as, or just a smidge taller than, her fellow packmates. Finally satisfied with their haul, Heather guided her friends back out. This time, Mac rode with Duke as they raced back home. 

"Meetup tomorrow?" Heather shouted, not taking her eyes off the road. 

"Sounds good to me," Duke agreed. "Wanna hit up anywhere specific?"

"Nah, just hanging at Heather's should be fine." Heather cast a sideways glance, as did Duke. "That good, Heather?"

"Sounds fine, please keep your eyes on the road, ohmygod!" Mac's eyes were currently covered to ease some of her anxiety over her friends' driving habits. How did they get their licenses!

Heather laughed, but looked back in front. "Alright then! Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Heather's place. Probably watch movies or some shit."

Duke nodded and they split off. Heather parked perfectly in her driveway and grabbed her shopping bags. She shouldered her front door open and was greeted with the sound of silence. _Silence._ She should've just gone to Mac's with the others. She hated silence. 

Carrying her bags upstairs, Heather set them in front of her closet. She suddenly didn't feel like doing much of anything. With a soft sigh, she fell onto her bed and just laid there. Fuck it. She wasn't going to be doing much else today anyway. She kicked her shoes off and curled around Her Book. 

Tomorrow would be another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Pretty sure my sick brain has Heather kicking someone in the face. Can't remember why, but what I do know for certain is that Sophomore Year officially starts!
> 
> Edit: I'm going to be pretty busy this coming week. I'll see about getting the next chapter out on the 25th as a late Solstice gift!


	13. Westerberg's Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heather reminds Westerberg of their manners. Veronica just can't wait to get outta here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while. I hate that it took me this long to get back to this fic, but I'm thankful to y'all for being patient!

Heather pulled into one of the closest spots in the school parking lot and shook her hair out. She could do this. She only had three more years. Three more years and no one would even blink twice about her being an omega. She took a deep breath, disguising it by checking her makeup in her rearview. Another engine hummed nearby and she spotted Duke pulling into the spot beside her.

“Hey, Heather!” Mac called with a grin. “Ready for the first day?”

Heather shrugged. She didn’t want to be here. She hated being here, in fact. What was the point of coming to school if Sarah wasn’t going to be there to greet her and ask her about her day when she got home? Just a cold empty house. Heather hated it.

Deciding she looked good enough to present herself to the school, Heather stepped from the car. The last month had been spent getting herself used to her new attire, mostly the heels. Her bright red blazer made her stand out under the gloomy September sky. Perfect. She would have their attention. They would all see her as a powerful alpha.

Mac and Duke slid to her sides, all three of them a bright spot of color in the otherwise dreary parking lot. Plenty of the other students had arrived by now, so all eyes would no doubt find them. Heather glanced to her sides and received nods from her best friends. United front.

As usual, the three of them strode into Westerburg like they owned it. And they did. They owned all they set eyes on. They were in charge, they decided who was worthy, everyone else fell in line at their whims. Heather would show them all. She would show them she was worth something. She would have something to proudly present Sarah after Graduation.

Whistles and whispering followed them through the halls. Thanks to the impressive reputation they’d gotten themselves the previous year, the older students were looking at them with interest. It was unheard of for Freshman to go as far as they had, so the upperclassmen were wondering what sort of havoc they could wreak this year.

One of the football players slid in Heather’s path and she slowed her gait. An abrupt stop would mean he caught her off guard. No, she was in control at all times. He didn’t catch her off guard, she just deigned him important enough, for the moment, to listen to him.

“Yo, hottie,” he chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair. “Ready to tear the streets up this year? Betcha it’d be great with a smokin’ babe like you by my side.” He waggled his eyebrows in a manner that was no doubt meant to be appealing.

Unfortunately for him, Heather wasn’t in the mood. She wasn’t in the mood for much, to be honest, but especially not this. If you weren’t her pack, you weren’t important. This disgusting worm needed to know that.

All eyes widened when a pristine red heel rose and slammed against the jock’s chest. His knees buckled under the unexpected pressure and Heather leaned forward to keep him in place. The hall was dead silent as everyone waited to see what would happen. This was even more intriguing and frightening than when she’d put Ron in his place last year.

“Apparently,” Heather growled in a low voice. “Everyone has forgotten their _manners_ from last year. Allow me to give you a quick refresher.” She pressed her heel into his chest and the jock whimpered. “You do not speak to me unless I speak to you. If I ask you a question, you answer, otherwise, the _only_ thing that should be coming out of your mouth is ‘sorry, Heather’, ‘excuse me, Heather’, or ‘thank you, Heather’.” Her eyes burned into his. “Am I _clear?_ ”

“Y-yes, Heather.” The poor boy looked like he’d just soiled himself. Good. She was in charge. She was someone to be feared. She was important.

“Good. _Dismissed._ ”

As the jock scrambled to his feet and fled, Heather’s eyes surveyed the rest of the hall. “ _Something wrong?_ ” she hissed. Everyone immediately went back to whatever they were doing and Heather nodded.

Mac snickered as she followed behind Heather. She knew Heather was still feeling the effects of Sarah’s loss, but it was always a wonderful sight to see her putting people in their place. She trailed behind and brightened.

“Our lockers are next to each other this year, Heather!” she squealed happily, slamming her elbow against hers to open it.

“Took them long enough,” Duke snorted, slamming a fist against hers and watching it swing open.

Heather glared at her locker for a moment, but gave it one sharp wrap to open it. Like always, it swung open for her and she dropped her backpack in. She doubted she’d need her books for the first day, anyway. Instead, she stuck her mirror to the inside of the door like always and checked her reflection. Immaculate as usual. Good. Not a hair could be out of place if she was going to dominate this year and the two following. Freshman year had been the introduction. Now, it was time for a real show.

“What are your schedules?” she asked her friends quietly. “We need to make sure everything is in order.”

Both Duke and Mac handed their schedules to her and Heather surveyed them carefully. “Hm, gym last period for me and Heather,” she murmured. “Good. We’ll be able to skip like usual.” Looking to Mac, she said, “I trust you’ll have no problem in the class without us?”

Code. Mac smiled reassuringly at her. “Of course, Heather. Gym has always been more my thing anyway.”

Heather gave her a nod and looked back to the sheets. “Hm, same study hall. It’ll be a perfect time to touch up our makeup.” Translation: perfect time for Duke and Mac to scent her for the rest of the day. “I guess the rest of this is acceptable. We’ll have to plan around ruts, but we’re flexible.”

Handing the schedules back, she took one last glance at her locker and nodded. “Let’s go,” she said calmly. “Time to tear into the new school year. Heather, got tabs on the muscleheads?”

Duke glanced at her phone and rolled her eyes. “They’re on their way. Something about the perfect meat sandwich.”

“So long as they get here, I don’t care what they’re putting in each other’s mouths,” Heather huffed.

She checked her phone as she strode along the halls. Not for the first time, her gaze landed on Sarah’s number and she stared hard at the ‘Call’ icon. Just like all the times before, she resisted the urge to hit it. She wanted so badly to talk to Sarah, but no. Sarah wasn’t here to take care of her now. Heather had to be strong, to hold her head high. She would call Sarah. Just _after_ Graduation. She could do this on her own. Her and her pack. And then, once she’s got that diploma and her college acceptance letter, her father’s views and training would mean _nothing._

Just until Graduation. She could do it.

~~~

Veronica yawned as she made her way through the halls. Whispers circulated around her, most of them commenting on the Heathers. Seriously? It was literally the _first day_. What could that pack have done already to warrant whispering?

Ignoring the whispers for the moment, Veronica opened her locker and dropped the majority of her books into it. She kept her prized journal with her and maybe the book for Flemming’s class. Otherwise, she wouldn’t need the rest. Who would actually do work on the first day?

As she strolled along, Veronica ignored the feet held out to try tripping her for a cheap laugh and spotted a familiar sweater up ahead. With a quick jog, Veronica caught up to Martha and spotted Betty on her other side. “Hey, you two,” she greeted them. “How ya likin’ the first day back in hell?”

“Oh, you know,” Betty shrugged. “The usual. Mockery, cheap jokes, random assholery all around, really.”

“Yup, sounds about right,” Veronica agreed. “Any idea what all the whispers are about?”

Martha perked up at that. “Apparently, one of the football seniors tried making a move on Heather Chandler. She judo flipped him into a locker and howled at him so loud, he wet himself.”

“Really?” Betty asked in confusion. “I thought she bit a chunk from his shoulder and punched him into a janitor’s closet?”

Veronica snorted and rolled her eyes. “So, basically, someone tried putting the moves on Heather Numero Uno and got chewed out for it.”

“On only the first day, too,” Martha murmured. “I think that’s a record.”

“Boys are stupid,” Betty snickered.

“Everyone is stupid,” Veronica chuckled, slapping her a high five.

“Maybe for you, Brainiac,” Martha teased, bumping Veronica’s shoulder. “Are we still on this Friday to celebrate the return to the worst place invented by man?”

She got two nods in affirmative. “Never miss a chance to hang out with you, Martha,” Veronica told her. She pulled Martha into a hug. Really, it was to stop her from being tripped by some douchebag, but Martha wouldn’t know the difference. Betty shot the asshole the bird as they kept going.

The first bell rang and they groaned in unison. “Guess this is where we split,” Betty muttered. She dipped into an exaggerated bow and said, “This is where we part, fair maidens.”

Both Martha and Veronica laughed at the display and Veronica reached over to playfully push Betty’s shoulder. “Just go before you bow so low you fall, nerd.”

Betty stuck her tongue out and disappeared into a nearby classroom. As Martha and Veronica headed to their shared Social Studies class, Veronica took a deep breath. Back at Westerberg for another year. Just three more left and then she can say sayounara to this rinky dink town.

Three more years. She could do it.


End file.
